Guardian
by SilverSignet
Summary: Marvel verse AU, Time travel/second chances. Aislinn is found horrifically injured after not being seen in Asgard since she was a baby, and is saved by Loki. Odin welcomes the orphan daughter of his childhood friend, and hopes that Thor will marry her. Her eyes, however, are on a different prince:) M for violence and eventual sexual themes, probably going to be very long.
1. Guardian

**Hi guys! So, first fanfiction ever... first creative writing ever shown to anyone really. So, I'd really really love feedback about my writing style, but please be gentle. I am new, but very enthusiastic and ready to learn!**

**I realize that this story might be a bit behind the times because both ****_Thor _****and ****_Avengers_**** came out a few years ago now... but watching ****_Thor the Dark World _****made me want to write a story in which Loki is a protagonist, dubious though he might be. If you can bare with me through the exposition, I promise you a romance story :)**

**Anyway, this story begins in a possible future of the story line post all three movies, when the chitauri and their master come looking for the tesseract, and then winds up in an AU of_ Thor_.**

**Oh, and Marvel owns all the things. Except for Aislinn. She's all mine!**

**...**

Guardian

"You think you know pain? He will make you long for something as sweet as pain."

They haunted him, those words. The Other had made good on his threat. Thanos' war – if war you could call it - had been as short as it had been bloody. With all the other Infinity stones, Thanos required only the tesseract to complete his plan to dominate the universe and destroy the sentient races. He had come for it, and to seek revenge for Loki's failure.

Loki looked up despairingly at the ruddy red sky of the dying Asgard, once bright and clear. All that remained of the city was ash and rubble. There were no Asgardians left alive to watch him suffer. The Chitauri and Thanos had left him to die alone, a slow death from a sucking wound.

_Pain would be nice. Pain would remind me that I am still alive. Just._

He lay panting, propped up on some rubble, waiting for the end. His breaths were coming slower now – ragged and harsh. He tried to take his mind off the situation by remembering what had become of the others. They had all fought bravely - even he, Loki, had fought with all his strength. Never had he sought the destruction of Asgard. He had wanted to rule it, whole and beautiful and pure- everything he was not. Not anymore. But had he? Had he really coveted the throne? Or was seeking it only a way of punishing his family for hiding his past, for being raised in a shadow. It mattered little. All his family and friends were dead now.

Hogun had been the first to die, in the opening waves of the invasion. He gave his life to protect the Bifrost, and send warning to the other realms.

Volstagg and Sif had died before the gates of the palace, trying to give the others time to escape inside, trying to distract Thanos so that some of their people would have a chance of fleeing into the void.

Thor, Odin and Loki himself tried to defend the great vault: attempting to send the artifacts into oblivion before they fell into Thanos' hands. Loki had watched the last members of his family fall before him, burned away into ash. Now he was alone, and dying.

_It had been for nothing._

What of Fandral? Loki thought. He did not know the death of that merry swordsman. Just as well. One less dark scene to watch replayed in his thoughts as he died.

His vision began to darken, and the world began to spin slowly, like motes of ash in the wind. This was the end, and he was so tired. So tired…

Loki awoke with a start, still clinging to life. He must have slept for some hours, as the light was beginning to fade from the sky. He watched, half conscious, as the light seeped out of his world. He closed his eyes again as the sun set on the last day of Asgard.

He was trying to recall a happy memory from his youth to blot out the images of death and destruction when he first noticed a light shining through his eyelids. It caused a starburst of pinks across his vision. He opened his eyes slowly and saw a dark figure illuminated from behind with a brilliant white light.

_Loki…. Son of two kings and the founder of this destruction. Do you repent of your actions, Guardian?_

The words whispered inside his head, somehow totally neutral: Neither male nor female, and without emotion. Loki was unsure of his ability to speak in response, but the voice continued without him.

_The universe is in its final days, Guardian. All the nine realms die as Asgard does. The races are all but ash, and tomorrow, there will be no one to watch the sunrise. All the work of Gods and Men, gone without a trace_. The Whisper seemed to cast around itself, searching for something whole and unharmed for a moment, before its dreadful words intoned on in Loki's mind:_ Poor lost soul. Raised to be a king without a throne. Raised to hate your blood. You needed someone to choose you above all others, but you spurned love and light before it could reach you._

_For these many years, you have despised sentiment and made a mockery of love. What did you call it - the basest sentimentality. Love alone could have saved you. Love alone could have prevented this. _ The figure gestured to the ruins of the Asgardian palace, its once proud towers broken and scattered. _A shame, seeing as love and devotion is all you ever truly desired, little prince._

The Whisper ceased for a moment, gazing out over the destruction. If it grieved, it gave no sign.

It turned back towards Loki, lifting a pointing finger towards the prince. _There was a child of prophecy, who was born to save the nine realms. You were born to be her protector, but she died alone crying out for help . While she cried out, the Asgardians looked on in horror as you tormented the people of Midgard. Heimdall the Watcher could not see or hear her as he watched you that day, Guardian_.

Loki was completely unsure how to deal with this assertion. He had never heard of such a child, or of his duty to protect anyone.

_There was a single moment in time, when you could have chosen another path and prevented these events._ The Whisper continued,_ One moment of honesty, of selflessness. You could have spoken the truth, and all the events that followed would be different. Will you go back, dark prince? Will you begin again?_

His heart, though beating weakly, seemed to leap into his throat. A chance to fix everything? Before it went too far?

_Very well,_ The Whisper said, again not waiting for his response, _If that is truly what is in your heart. You will sleep now, and when you wake, you will remember nothing at all about this timeline – except this single lesson: Too far down the road of darkness, and you will not be able to stop_.

The figure reached a hand towards Loki as though making a gesture of mercy: palm up and open. From its hand leapt a tremendous light that surged toward his prostrate, broken body. He felt as though he were on fire, that he was coming undone from the inside out. The world dipped and stretched in a torrent of light and sound – almost like being in the Bifrost.

And then there was nothing.


	2. Begin Again

"…Frost Giants."

Murmuring erupted through the great crowd assembled for the coronation. Loki straightened up with a snap, as though out of a daydream. He ought to be focused, this was the greatest prank that he had yet conceived. The only one on a big enough scale to disrupt the crowning of a new king.

Odin reacted exactly as Loki had predicted: He raised his staff, and struck its end harshly onto the steps of his throne, commanding the destroyer to act. Gesturing to his two sons, he commanded them to follow as he rushed to the weapons vault to discover the meaning behind this incursion.

Loki stood and watched his elder brother and father arguing hotly about the thievery attempt. He could see Thor seething with righteous fury, ready to make a war out of three frost giants in the weapons vault. A wicked part of his nature gleamed gleefully within him to see his father angry at Thor. He knew that at last someone could see Thor's great failure: The would-be king was a warmonger.

He felt something else also, something more profound and powerful. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand up, to think that this was getting so far out of hand. This was meant to disturb the coronation, or perhaps make Odin think twice about his choice of heir. This could become war! It made Loki feel cold. As the argument grew more and more heated, Loki stood looking on, shocked and shivering ever so slightly. A whisper in his conscience cried "…Too far."

As abruptly as it began, the fight was over. Odin silenced his first born, and departed. His eyes were full of anger and disappointment, and both brothers knew better than to follow him or speak again in his presence for the time being.

After standing a few moments gritting his teeth and clenching and unclenching his fist around Mjolnir, Thor stormed out of the vault like a rampaging beast on fire. Shaking his head in frustration, Loki spun on his heel and followed, hoping to prevent his brother from destroying half the palace in his latest temper tantrum.

Loki arrived too late for the feast table. Thor had thrown it over like a petulant child, smashing the feast and wasting the food. At first meaning to comfort his brother, Loki tried to convince Thor to speak to him, knowing that his bluster was nothing more than scuffed pride. And yet, it bothered him to know that with all his weaknesses, Thor was preferred. It irked and writhed somewhere deep in the younger prince, and wicked thoughts bubbled to the surface.

He knew precisely which words to speak to push his brother over the edge into a true act of stupidity. He praised him almost fawningly, and cautioned him against disobeying their father. He knew full well that Thor would do exactly the opposite - thick headed beast that he was. They would go to Jotunheim, and Thor would be shown the fool. The wicked, spiteful part of Loki rejoiced with something akin to glee and excitement.

_Too far_.

His mind lashed at him with the thought. This is too much - as nice as it would be for the golden boy to be out of favor in the long term, this was too far. It risked too much - this might be war after all. But the arrow had already sprung from the bow, and nothing Loki could say to Thor would prevent his going now.

...

As the others prepared for battle, calling for horses and testing their weaponry, Loki summoned his magic. He created a facsimile of himself, and used the double to speak to a guard on one of the upper floors of the palace.

"You there, guard. Thor and his companions are making for Jotunheim against the wishes of the Allfather. When you see the Bifrost flash, tell my father the king what I have told you." The guard seemed shaken and surprised, but agreed. Loki was just about to dismiss the illusion when he found himself doubting his actions once again. The prickling feeling in the back of his mind would not relent: Loki choked on guilt and fear, and decided to try to take a different path.

"No." He said, and his image turned to face the guard again. "Go now. Tell the Allfather to make his way Heimdall's post at great haste."

The guard stood confused - unsure if this would turn out to be yet another of Loki's petty tricks. "Go! Now!" Loki shouted at him through the illusion. The guard hesitated another fraction of a second and then set off down the halls at a run.

Loki dismissed the illusion and focused on the task at hand, pretending to get ready to leave for Jotunheim. If Thor suspected that Loki had alerted the guard he would tell everyone Loki was a liar and seek another opportunity to go to Jotunheim. Loki had to make sure that Odin knew of his son's plan and caught him in the act. It was the only way to be sure that Thor would be prevented from going.

The small company mounted their horses and rode out along the rainbow bridge as fast as they could. Thor was grinning savagely, the anticipation of the upcoming battle already rising in his blood. Loki could read him like a book- he courted violence for sport. So much for going to ask the Jotun king 'Why?'

...

After a time of hard riding, the band reached the end of the bridge. As they slowed their horses, Loki began to try to think of things to tip Heimdall off about their plan, if he hadn't been listening to their earlier conversation as it was. He had just decided on a blustering, over confident, obviously lying approach as he dismounted and began to walk towards Heimdall's post, only to find himself face to face with the Allfather instead of Heimdall at all.

Odin and Thor began to scream at each other all over again. Odin accused him of weakness of character and mind - called him a boy and a fool. Thor screamed back worse things, about Odin failing to protect Asgard. It looked like it might come to blows or worse, when the smallest sound came out of Loki's mouth. It sounded like 'Stop.' The two men did not seem to hear him, so he cleared his throat and said 'Stop' again, his voice trembling.

He found himself instantly faced with the wrath of both his father and his brother, but the little voice in his mind continued to shriek at him to tell the truth. "It was me." He said, in a voice so small and quiet it was almost inaudible.

"What do you mean it was you?" shouted Thor in his face, his unbridled rage spilling over on his brother.

"It was me. I brought the Jotuns here into Asgard."

There was complete silence. They all stared at him, horror written on their faces. "I never meant for this to go so far. I wanted to do something to interrupt to coronation, because I was jealous and…." The words came tumbling out of his mouth in a sudden slurry of truthfulness. He closed his mouth and took a shuddering breath before going on. "I am sorry. I did not think it would come to this."

"You are sorry are you?!" Odin turned on his youngest son as though he were a snake in the grass. "You have ruined the right of passage your brother has striven for his entire life! You have destabilized an already tenuous peace! You have brought shame to my house this day, Loki. Worst of all, you are responsible for five unnecessary deaths! The blood of Jotunheim and Asgard stains your hand, you foolish boy."

As Odin berated him, Thor looked away, his jaw working in anger. Loki wondered if Thor was going to attack him.

"Both my sons have disgraced themselves, neither of you are worthy to sit on the throne of Asgard!" he spat. "Thor, you will return to the palace in the knowledge that you will not be king until you have proven yourself better than this to me. Loki,I forbid you to set foot outside the palace walls. You will remain a prisoner of your own home until such time as I decide what is to be done with you. One more trick, one toe outside the gates and I will cast you into the dungeons for this treachery. The only reason I do not send you there this moment is because of your actions to put a stop to this idiocy." Odin drove his staff hard into the ground, and teleported the entire small party back into the palace. For a moment, the image of the scene on the rainbow bridge and the throne room were transposed in a dizzying whirl of color and sensation. Odin cried out again :"Now. Out of my sight! The pair of you!"

His fathers words pounding and stinging in his ears, Loki considered simply fleeing Asgard. But he knew that if he did, he could never return, and that Odin would never stop hunting him. He nodded numbly and teleported himself directly into his chambers, wanting to avoid talking to anyone and anxious not to be under his father's gaze.

...

Months past this way. Months usually seem but a moment in the eyes of a god, but to Loki they felt slow and protracted.

Loki obeyed his father's edict, although he chafed against the bars of his cage, gilded and comfortable though it might be. Loki spent the balance of each day in the library, absorbing all the knowledge of magic that he could. That was one small benefit to be gleaned from this situation. He no longer had to deal with maintaining his false friendship with Thor's band of cronies.

Thor himself had forgiven Loki surprisingly quickly. He was not the sort of person who held a grudge or sought deeper meaning into Loki's betrayal. He accepted it as a prank gone wrong, and brushed it aside. His friends, however, treated Loki with disdain on the best of days, unbridled hate and contempt on the worst.

The hardest thing for Loki by far was his father's reaction to his sons' disgrace. Odin looked old and worn down by all the strife in his family. But although he slowly began to make amends with his eldest son and address his flaws as a future king, the Allfather would not look upon his second son, or speak his name.

Loki found himself praying for something to break up this monotony, but he could never imagine what was coming for him.


	3. The Climb

_I am no one. I have no memory. The beginning and the end of my being is pain, pain from the tips of my fingers right down to the base of my spine._

_My legs are numb, lifeless things I drag behind me. They must have always been. My arms are things that reach out in front of me, grasp on to hand holds and drag. I am not sure why I keep doing this. It causes me nothing but pain. All I know is that I must go up. I must go up, and I must speak a name_.

The broken, bleeding body dragged itself slowly up the ash covered hillside. It lay in a pile of scree, scrambling with its hands for holds on rocks large enough to support its weight, dragging itself over the stones, worsening its already catastrophic injuries and opening new wounds. It made no sound, however. No cry of pain or sob of anguish. The only sound audible was the knocking of stones, the rustling of shredded cloth, and the steady 'Tink, Tink, Tink' as the heavy manacles on the wrists clanked into the stones as it pulled itself ever upward.

_After an eternity of up, and an infinite number of drags, I reach my hands out before me for another hold, and grasp nothing but air. I feebly peel my eyes open, and after several moments, I realize that I have reached the top._

_I lay my head down, and try to remember what the point of all that had been. I must go up. I must speak a name. The name. I can't remember speaking. I experiment trying to shape it with my lips. The first time I whisper the name so quietly, I cannot even hear myself._

"Heimdall"

_Nothing happened. Try again, louder._

"HEIMDALL!" The figure screamed the name out with all the strength it had left, and it collapsed back to the earth. The scream caused blood to gurgle up through its mouth, and it choked and began to faint.

_The world is going dark, and I have failed. Suddenly, all the world is light and color. I feel weightless for an instant, and know that I have died at last._

_..._

All the palace was in uproar. For the first time since anyone could remember, Heimdall left his post in the midst of his duty. He strode into the palace and up to the healing rooms bearing a bloody body with him. The news about an injured off worlder spread like wildfire.

The healers were at their wits end. The body was so badly mangled and unrecognizable they could not be certain of its species, let alone its gender or age. They placed it in the Soulforge, and began to try to take stock of the injuries. There was a break in the spinal column, and the legs were paralyzed and without life. The left eye was gone from the ravaged face entirely. More of the bones were broken than whole. Most horrifying of all, the body had almost no skin. What was not open wound or bleeding scrape was covered in burn marks, wheals and blisters.

Surprisingly, the heart still beat: strong and determined in the chest even though the body should not live. The healers began to pour magic into the wounds, speaking prayers for recovery, but the wounds did not respond, remaining as open and hideous as ever before.

Time went on as they studied the injuries, hoping to find an answer. Eventually, Odin himself came to the sick room seeking out the source of all the commotion and was shocked at the sight. Demanding to know who this person was, he cast about the room for a reply. None of the healers could give him an answer.

Odin inspected the broken figure, a look of horror on his face at the sight of such suffering. It was not until he came close to the body that the figure moved - its hand unclenched, and something glittering dropped from its clutch. Its fall was arrested, however, as it was attached to something still tangled around the bloody and burned fingers. Odin gently untangled the object, which proved to be a necklace.

He gazed at it with shock, and whispered: "No. Anything but that." He turned the object over in his hands again and again. It was a pretty thing, even smeared with the ichor from the body. It was an Asgardian pendant of robins egg blue. A flat, round stone with a knot-work tree carved into its surface. On the back, an inscription read, "For My Beloved Maeva." Odin's hands began to shake. "Save this person. Save them no matter the cost!" Odin proclaimed.

One young maiden healer came forward, although she trembled like a leaf. "Allfather," she squeaked, "our magic will not touch these wounds. I fear that there must be a curse at work."

"Any curse can be broken!" The Allfather retorted.

"My king," the maiden almost whispered, "We cannot understand the source of this magic."

Odin leaned heavily on a nearby table, grasping it so tight, his knuckles began to whiten. "Call for my son" he ordered at last.

"But, my king," replied the girl, "I do not know what Thor could do…."

"Not Thor." Odin cut her off, "No, bring Loki here."


	4. Manacles

Loki could hardly credit that Odin had sent for him after these many months of being completely ignored by the Allfather. For the first few minutes, he could not commit to an emotional response. At first, he thought that someone must be trying to pull a cruel prank on him, and that his father had nothing to do with his summons after all. He then considered that no one was likely to provoke the Allfather in this way, even to see Loki shamed.

In light of this, Loki warred within himself: he was angry that his father could ignore him for months and then suddenly demand his presence like a common servant, but he was also still a young man who craved love and validation from his father. So much so, he found himself hoping desperately that he would be forgiven now or perhaps given the chance to redeem himself in his father's eyes.

Still in conflict, Loki decided that he should not hesitate and risk his father's anger, so he teleported himself directly from the library where the guard had found him and into the healing rooms. The sight that greeted him there was almost more than he could bear. Every trained healer within the house of Odin was scrambling about the healing chambers, trying to find a solution for a patient who lay shrouded on the table in the center of the room. The figure was covered over with a white sheet, but red blood was beginning to stain it in small patches all over. The image from the soul forge was enough to set Loki's mind spinning. He had never seen, in all his adventures and battles, even the image of a body so disfigured. It was difficult even to rationalize which shards of bone should belong where.

Unnoticed for the moment in the hustle and bustle, he drew close to the body and raised the corner of the sheet. He was greeted with a sight so horrible that he turned away and choked. "For the love of all the Gods!" he exclaimed aloud, "Why has no one put this thing out of its misery?" His exclamation drew the attention of his father, who leaned precariously against the wall, looking older and more burdened than usual.

"Loki! Do not say such things!" He roared and propelled himself up from his hunched position. He stumbled over to his younger son, looking decidedly un-regal. "My boy…" he whispered, "help me to save this person. There is something I must know."

"Father…" Loki breathed, shaking somewhere between dread and excitement. "I am no healer. I would not even know how to begin…"

"Son, there is a curse upon this person. No healing magic, no matter how strong seems to be affecting the wounds: only none of the practitioners of magic here seem to be able to understand how this can be."

Loki found himself to be intrigued, and strode over to the soulforge in order to inspect the floating image of the body more clearly. After tinkering with the image for a moment and casting a few spells, he could see the network of magic within the soulforge's image of the body… or the lack of one. Magic seemed to hover all around the body without flowing through it. Even those that cannot command magic should still have some power within themselves. Loki called for a healer to once again attempt to cast a spell of healing on the body. He watched as the magic reached towards the body in gentle tendrils of healing energy, represented before him in pale blue light. He also saw it stop short of touching the patient, and flow abruptly towards the figure's right wrist.

Gritting his teeth against the sight he was about to take in, he gingerly lifted the blanket away from the mangled right arm. There, on the wrist, he saw the heavy gold cuff. He reached across the body, and exposed another on the left wrist.

"Are there more of these?" He demanded. A healing maid nodded soberly, and pulled down the blanket to expose a matching gold torque around its neck. Steeling himself, he looked at the head of the person he was trying to save. Most of the flesh of the face was shredded, and what was not cut into ribbons was burned. The left eye was clearly no longer in the socket, and only tiny patches of grey tufts of hair remained on the head at all. He breathed deeply and slowly through his nose to contain his revulsion and, averting his eyes from the bloodied and burned face, he looked closer at the jewelry in question. Each one had a different strange runic symbol carved into its face, followed by a symbol they shared in common; three parallel lines like hatch-marks followed by a dot. He ran his fingers over the surface of the adornments, and was overcome by an intense sensation of _wrongness_. He shivered, and pulled his delicate fingers back into a fist.

The healing girl piped up next to him and said "I imagine whoever this is, they must be very wealthy and important, to have jewelry like that! It must be more than a pound of gold!"

"Oh, no." Loki stated. "I fear they are far more sinister in nature than that." With a flick of his hands, he summoned an ancient and dusty tome from the library vault, wherein he believed he had seen some of the runes.

"Where did you come by that?" the Allfather demanded. "That is a forbidden text on the darkest of magicks, hidden for millennia! The casting of any spell within that text is a crime punishable by death!"

"I should imagine so," Loki replied blithely. "Most unsavory. It was wise to keep it under lock and key. Pity that it can be summoned out of the vault."

He continued flipping through the pages almost idly, showing no concern at his father's outrage whatsoever.

"Here!" he exclaimed at last, standing up straighter and resting the tome partially propped up on the sick bed. "This symbol," he pointed at the second symbol on the torque "is 'Gate' in a long forgotten language of magic. It can also mean 'Barred' or 'Blocked.' His finger skimmed the page again briefly before continuing. "This first symbol on the necklace means 'Will power' or 'Mind.' The symbol on the right hand means 'Magic.' On the left, it means, 'Body' …. Or perhaps 'Healing?' I think it means the body's natural ability to heal."

He looked up at them with a triumphant expression, but the healers continued to stare at him blankly. "These pieces are part of a spell for enslaving a being of great power," he continued looking annoyed. "Most require only dominance of the mind, and the torque blocks the powerful creature's will to resist orders. Some, who are very powerful in magic, must have a second band, to inhibit their magic from fighting back even though the mind is empty. Only once in history before this tome was crafted and subsequently banned, was a third band needed. The magic within this creature was so profound and powerful, it had to be kept perpetually injured and numb within the body, so that no part of his ability to fight the subjugation could overcome."

Odin looked grave and as elderly as the universe as he asked, "How can they be removed?"

Loki scanned the page of his book for a second before looking downcast and replying, "They cannot." He closed the book with a thud that spouted a foul smelling stream of dust into the air, and banished it again with a wave of his hand. "They can only be removed by the hand that placed them." He muttered, and began to pace the room.

He knew he should be focusing on helping his father and regaining trust, but his mind began to wander and resentment prickled him, as it often did. Why should he try to help Odin, when the man had rejected him? Why should he continue to try to prove himself, when his brother had been preferred all his life?

He began to list the many ways in which Thor had been given preference over him, when he stopped abruptly in his tracks. Loki found himself reliving his father's speech at the coronation as it fueled his frustration, when he remembered; "So long entrusted with this mighty hammer, Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star. Its power has no equal as a weapon to destroy, or a tool to build. A fit companion for a king." Wavering, Loki clenched and unclenched his fists. He might have an answer, and he might have to call on his brother to achieve it. He continued the path of his pacing, until he stopped before his father and turned.

"Father, the writing of that text and the defeat of the black sorcerers occurred before the creation of the star weapons, did it not?" Loki asked, peering up at his father's face while trying to keep his head tilted down. Odin nodded his head slowly, wondering where Loki was going with this. "The histories state that no weapon forged by man or god was powerful enough to shatter the bonds… at that time. Mjolnir might be strong enough."

Odin called out an order for Thor to be brought to the healing rooms, and Loki began to inspect the unusual manacles once again. He turned them this way and that around the broken limbs, looking for additional symbols and finding none. Each time he touched them with his delicate hands, he felt a sickness within him, like putrefaction within his soul. The magic summoned to create these must have been beyond evil.

At length, Thor arrived in the healing room, and listened as the others explained what Loki had described in simpler terms. Loki continued to ponder the bonds as Thor loudly and brazenly proclaimed that he could remove the bindings, no matter how strong they were. He strode to the table, gathering Mjolnir in his hand, and grasped the necklace roughly.

"Stop!" Loki hissed and placed his hand between the hammer and the necklace. "If you break this one, you will free the mind before the body is remotely repaired. If this person does not die of the pain they cannot feel right now, they will be driven mad by it!"

"Which one do I take off then?" Thor huffed looking insulted.

Loki pondered this. It was his natural instinct to reach for magic. The healers could begin to try to save this ravaged mess if their spells could reach it, but something made him hesitate. This… being…. had apparently called for Heimdall's help. Chances were that if they appealed to Asgard for help, they were an Asgardian, and all Asgardians naturally heal very quickly. Making a snap, spur of the moment decision, he pointed at the left arm. Thor grasped the cuff… or more appropriately manacle in his hand and tapped it harshly with Mjolnir.

Nothing happened. Thor looked angry and frustrated to Loki, like a child about to throw a fit… but he imagined the strength that Thor possessed when he was acting like a child might come in handy right about now. The soulforge showed that the heart rate of the prostrate body had become erratic. Whoever they were, they were dying. Thor lifted the hammer again, and slammed it down onto the gold ornament, which let out a shriek like a dying beast. Cracks began to form in it, thin spiders webs of damage reaching out across the surface. Thor lifted the hammer again, and thrust it down with all the strength of his bulging muscles. The manacle exploded into a fine powder, and fell from the wrist of the patient as dust.


	5. Healed

For a fraction of a moment, it seemed like nothing had happened. Then, the image on the soulforge began to waver and thrash about, as though it were being interfered with. The body seemed to ripple and pulse in suit, like some unholy monster. Loki threw his arm across his brother's chest and shoved him aside before his brother could react in some harmful way.

The strange wave on the soulforge's projection began to dissipate from the center of the body, leaving images of healthy and whole organs and bones. Loki seized the sheet and tore it from the body, and though much of it was bandaged, he could see that the limbs were beginning to reform in shape, as if by a powerful and unknowable magic. After a moment longer, healthy skin began to spread rapidly over the body, as though someone were pouring ivory paint over all the angry red. The healthy skin flowed up the limbs, across the stomach and eventually spread across the face, now whole and unblemished. The figure was suddenly abundantly identifiable as female: delicate and graceful limbs, ample hips and a curving chest. One of the healers drew another blanket over her body for modesty, and with a flick of his finger, Loki transformed it into some loose fitted garments. Ignoring the young healer's shrieks of surprise, Loki turned his attention to the woman's face.

"This cannot be!" exclaimed one of the senior healers. "Organs cannot be regrown and damage like this cannot be undone so quickly! She even grew her EYE back!" Loki resisted pulling a face at the older woman. It did not matter if it could not be, it was.

Returning his gaze to the figure on the bed, Loki was surprised at her loveliness, particularly in comparison to her gruesome appearance only seconds ago. _'So young_,' he thought, '_So beautiful_.' The figure on the bed was now obviously younger than himself, and undeniably attractive. The effect of her transformation was complete as a halo of red hair seemed to materialize around her face. It spread; long and luscious until it began to spill off the table, curling gently into perfect rings.

It was an unusual color, not the copper or strawberry-blonde typical of redheaded Asgardians, but a dark, rich, auburn red. Loki immediately longed to run his hands through the beautiful stuff, and without even really knowing what he was doing, he took a half a step forward and plunged his hand into it, delicately smoothing the hair away from her face. He ran his hand through her silken tresses gently, staring at the soft flowing locks as they passed through his fingers as if they were an impossible dream. Behind him distantly, he heard his father say "The precise image… it could be her from our youth…"

"My Lord Loki!" squeaked the healing girl from before, pointing at the soulforge image once again, "What is happening now?"

Little nodes of light were beginning to pop up all over the projection of the now perfectly healthy and unblemished body. Loki looked at them blankly for a moment, before realizing that the light was representative of magic, as he had left it. The dots began to blur out into thin lines, all reaching towards each other. "That should not be possible," Loki muttered. He looked down at the manacle made to control magic, and found that it seemed to be disintegrating. He inspected it closely, and it seemed that it was being eaten away, as a metal would be eaten away by acid. He watched it intently for what must have been ten minutes or more, before it too fell into dust and vanished. He glanced up at the soulforge, and saw that the points of light and lines had developed into a network crossing the entire body, as though she had a second bloodstream of magic within her. He had never known of a being to contain so much dormant power, had never heard of a being that could withstand it.

A crumbling noise drew his eyes back down from the image to the graceful and delicate neck, where the heavy collar remained. It was being twisted and bent, chunks of it falling away. In mere moments, the magic within the young woman had destroyed the bind on her mind, and in a flash of light it was nothing but ash in the air.

The figure began to stir, and Loki instinctively leaned over her and watched her face. Slowly, her lidded eyes began to crack open. Slowly and almost weakly she opened her eyelids, exposing the most beautiful eyes Loki had ever seen. They were an intense blue: but not the usual skyblue of the predominantly blonde Asgardians. It was a dark blue like the twilight sky, and every bit as enchanting. He stared at her as she began to look about the room, and suddenly they locked eyes. For a brief moment they gazed at each other and Loki felt like his heart was in his throat. Then… with no warning at all… hell broke loose.

The young woman shoved Loki away from her violently, causing him to fly backwards until he hit his brother in the chest and bounce. She flipped backwards off the table, flying head over heels before landing in a crouch. She scrambled backwards, scattering healers and onlookers from her path until it was arrested by a table in the corner of the chamber. As though she were determined to get as far from all the people as possible, she leapt nimbly on top of the table and crouched in a defensive combat stance, her eyes flitting about the room wildly.

"Everyone out!" yelled Odin, "NOW!" The healers and handmaidens disappeared rapidly through the various doors to the chamber, and Thor followed them out, although he backed out while staring at agog at the young woman until Odin had to make an angry gesture at him. Loki proceeded to a door, but hesitated.

"Fath-"

"OUT!"

"But-"

"NOW!"

His show of hesitance had bought him just enough time to summon a tiny bit of magic that he could see and hear through. Loki was determined to understand what was going on.

...

The young woman remained backed into her corner, trembling with tension. Odin sighed deeply, and began to walk towards her slowly until she barked "Stay back!" at him. The Allfather stopped and waited, wise after many, many centuries of life. As the minutes ticked by, the girl started to lower her hands slightly.

When she seemed less tense, he opened his hand to show her the necklace. "You know what this is, yes?"

"Yes. It is mine. Return it to me." She hissed, seemingly angrier again.

"Could it have belonged to Maeve?" he asked.

"You know it did" the girl said, "it says so on the back."

Odin put the necklace gently down on the healing table. "She was your mother, wasn't she…. Aislinn?"

"How could you know that? How do you know my name?!"

"You look just like she did as a young woman. We spent most of our lives growing up side by side… she was a great friend to me." Odin paused for a moment before continuing, "Although, you got your father's eye and hair color." The young woman began to uncurl from her defensive stance, straightening up and staring at the Allfather. "You were a tiny babe when I last saw you. I never understood why your mother and father ran from me."

The young woman began to tremble more violently, and tears began to run silently from her eyes. "Are you… Odin?" The Asgardian king nodded slowly. "And… I am in your house?" She whispered. He nodded again, looking at her intently. "Allfather…. Am… am I safe now?"

"Yes child. You are protected within my power and within my house. You are home again." The young woman suddenly burst into tears and collapsed forward off the table, only to fall into Odin's arms. He held her gently as she wept into his shoulder.

"Tell me what happened?" Odin asked. She shuddered and pressed her face into his shoulder. "Can you tell me if your parents still live, if they need help?"

"No." she whispered, "they are gone."

"Tell me." Odin ordered, although his voice remained gentle.

"Father….. Father believed there was a prophecy about me. I was supposed to be the miracle girl, powerful beyond his wildest hopes. But he was afraid that people would hunt me, and try to use me or take me. He hid us for a long time and I trained to protect myself and I grew up. He told me that we would go home soon, he told me that we would climb to the top of the hill and call for a man named Heimdall to carry us away on a rainbow." She stopped to wipe her face and breathe slowly again. "but then these monsters attacked our home. They were everywhere…. The last thing I saw before I woke here was my parents dying before they closed something around my neck." She was choked off by her shivers again.

Odin patted her hair, and told her that was enough for now. He helped her back to the table, and told her to lie down. He promised her safety in his home, and that every person in the palace would protect her and help her. He called a handmaiden to bring her food, and although Aislinn remained shy, she did not become frightened or aggressive this time, and ate everything brought to her. Odin stayed by her side until she drifted off into fitful sleep, and then left the room, forbidding anyone to enter until the newcomer awoke and called for someone.

...

Even when the lights were dimmed to allow the woman to sleep, Loki could not bring himself to release his spying magic. At first, he told himself that he was only trying to learn a secret his father did not wish him to know, but it rapidly became about watching Aislinn's face, beautiful in fear, in relief, and in sleep. He knew how angry and frightened she would be that he watched her, and so eventually he let the magic fade from his eyes, and saw the scene before him instead of the healing chambers. He stared into the fire in his own chamber, but all he saw was dark red hair and night blue eyes.


	6. Memory

Over the next several weeks, Aislinn remained in the healing rooms. Although her body was miraculously free of any scars, the Allfather was concerned about the health of her mind. She seemed to adjust slowly at first, unaccustomed to the large number of people who bustled through the palace rooms. However, her mind seemed to be surprisingly free of trauma - for one simple reason. She could not remember anything about her ordeal after the golden bonds were placed on her body in the attack that took her parents.

Loki was often in or near the healing rooms at this time, asking about her condition or what was known about her. Unfortunately, the answers were always vague, and sometimes nonexistent. Her history, her injuries and her miraculous recovery remained mysterious. Eventually the Allfather allowed him to attempt to probe her memories in order to learn more about what happened.

It was the first time that he had been so close to her since she had awakened, and he was nervous. He managed with some difficulty to stretch his face into its usual stoic mask, but found that he could not make himself feel completely calm inside. He gestured for Aislinn to lay down, not bringing himself to speak, afraid his words would shake. Aislinn looked at him with a curious expression, almost hurt. Loki wondered if he seemed cold.

She lay down anyway, and Odin came to sit by her side and held her hand as Loki stood at the end of the table and place his hands on either side of Aislinn's head. He could still feel the silkiness of her hair ghosting over his hands from that first day, and had to stifle the urge to touch her.

She seemed uncomfortable, like a prey animal cornered. "Will this hurt?" She asked the Allfather tentatively, "will he see everything?"

Loki cleared this throat and shifted in place. "No," he said, trying to sound detached. "You won't feel anything. And, I will only see what you allow me to see. You must try to guide me to the hole in your memory. Once you do, I should be able to see whatever it is that your mind is blocking out."

"I am sorry to put you through this," said Odin, giving her hand a gentle squeeze, "But we must know who is responsible. Once we know, justice can be done, and both you and Asgard will be the safer for it, I promise you."

Aislinn smiled at him, but Loki thought that it did not quite reach her eyes.

"Lets begin." Loki said abruptly, suddenly anxious to be doing something and avoiding the awkward silence that overcame him whenever he was close to Aislinn. "When I cast the spell, you will feel like you are falling asleep. You need to try to stay in control and remember everything you can before… before you cannot remember anything else." Loki finished awkwardly. He cursed himself inwardly for sounding like a stumbling fool, but Aislinn did not seem to notice.

"O-Okay." She said, stumblingly. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, and Loki found himself staring at her again. He shook himself, and flexed his hands wide, before settling them on either side of Aislinn's head. He called his magic from the ether, and imagined it flowing gently towards Aislinn.

…

Loki found himself standing in the corner of a humble dwelling, with only one large room. For a brief moment, he was disoriented by the sudden change of scene before he remembered that he was in Aislinn's memory.

Many of the objects within the room were of fine Asgardian make, and stuck out in the shabbier setting. Armor and weaponry was prevalent, as well as some small pieces of art. Aislinn was remembering her childhood home. Loki thought disparagingly of her upbringing, and wondered for an instant how a child who had been raised in a shack had ever come to be cared for by the royal family of Asgard.

At first, he was unaware of any motion, when suddenly there was an almighty bash at the door. Three figures materialized in the room, as Aislinn began to remember the attack on her home. The figure closest to him was Aislinn herself, standing mere inches away from him. He barely recognised her at first. She was clad in leather armor from head to toe, and two long, wicked knives were in her grasp. However, that was not the only difference. In her own memory, she was smaller, slighter, and much less attractive. It dawned on him that she must not see herself as others do.

Shaken from his reverie as another almighty bash resounded at the door, Loki looked at the other figures in the room. They were an older Asgardian man and woman, obviously Aislinn's parents. Her mother was as beautiful as her daughter, only more aged. There were some silver strands in her honey blonde hair, and some wrinkles around her eyes and mouth. She was every bit the ideal Asgardian shieldmaiden; blonde, tall, with obvious strength and grace, she bore a shield imprinted with the arms of a noble house of Asgard, and held a short sword loosely in her hand, ready for anything.

The father figure was another matter altogether. He was tall and imposing, but his resemblance to the average Asgardian male ended there. He was not muscle bound at all, even more slight of build than Loki himself. His hair was an untidy shock of wavy red hair that stood out in every direction, and his deep set eyes were the deep blue he had passed on to his daughter. He carried no weapon of any kind, and instead stood behind his wife, as though afraid. Loki began to think some unkind thoughts about him, when the figure took a deep breath and relaxed his face of the fear that had been marked there.

Loki recognised the concentration of a sorcerer before the blue flames erupted from the man's hands as he readied a combat spell. Another crash against the barred door caused the wood to groan, and sent a shower of splinters and dust into the room. It would fall at the next impact. Loki watched in sudden wonder as Aislinn murmured something below her breath, and her long knives erupted into fire even as her father's hands had.

So, you are a caster after all, Aislinn. Loki thought.

With a last crash, the door gave way and chaos swept into the room in the form of strange soldiers. They were alien to Loki, unlike any inhabitant of the nine realms he had ever seen before; strange things between insects and men. They swarmed through the door, and were cut down by steel or flame or both by the dozens. Strange green blood dripped down Aislinn's knives as she whirled about in combat before his gaze, her expression full of terror.

The beasts seemed to care little for their lives, as they packed into the small home, smashing apart anything they could reach, widening the field of combat. Eventually the three figures were overwhelmed in the press of the interlopers. The older woman's shield was torn from her grasp, and she was pulled down screaming her daughter's name, and Aislinn wailed back from the other side of the room, unable to move towards her mother as she battled five of the monsters alone.

Aislinn let out a sob, and suddenly the whole scene changed again. Loki was now standing atop a lovely green hill. It looked over a valley, where a stream could be seen running like a sparkling ribbon over the countryside. Overhead, the branches of a tree stretched wide and provided shade from the summer sun. A blanket was laid out on the grass at his feet, and stretched out on it were two figures.

The woman he recognised as Aislinn's mother faced him, younger and more beautiful than before. She held in her arms a small child, with long and unruly red hair. They were looking out over the view, and the woman was telling the child a story about Asgard. She described the beautiful golden city, and the wonderful people and wise king. As she spoke, the woman took off her necklace and threw it over her daughter's head. The child squealed in joy and wriggled about to look at the necklace better.

Her mind is protecting itself, Loki thought. She does not want to remember her mother's death. He knelt by the blanket, and turned the child over to face him. The mother seemed unfazed, and simply stared off dreamily at the horizon.

"Aislinn?"

She tried to hide her tiny face from him, but Loki caught her chin and turned her to face him.

"I know this is frightening and painful" he said, "and we can stop if you want," he added hastily, "but we should know what happened to your memories. Try to focus?"

She hid her tiny porcelain face with grubby hands, as though she would succeed in blocking him out. He reached down and grasped her shoulders and shook her gently. Her hands fell from her face, and a single tear rolled down her baby-faced cheek.

Suddenly, Loki found himself looking into her adult face as she continued to cry. She looked bizarrely detached now, as though facing the inevitable. She looks like a prisoner going to the block, Loki thought idley. The room formed around them again suddenly, like an eclipse from the sunlight of her happy memory.

The melee began all over again, but this time the sad march of Aislinn's memory did not stop. Her mother was dragged down by the beasts once again, and her father filled most of the house with great sheets of magical flame. Beasts dropped left and right by the dozens, but when he knelt to check on his wife, he was brutally stabbed from behind by a monster he had not seen. He fell forward over the body of his dying wife, spilling blood at her feet.

Aislinn let out an otherworldly shriek, and began tearing at the monsters that surrounded her with a new fury. She was spattered in their green ichor before they wrested first one, and then another knife from her. She did not stop fighting, in the end it took five of them to restrain her, each to a limb and another with her head in a lock. A larger specimen then came through the door, wearing armor and a robe. It carried in its hand the heavy golden torque Loki had seen around Aislinn's neck while she was hurt, only now in two pieces.

She thrashed and bucked like a wild thing as he approached, brandishing the two halves of gold. He placed one on either side of her neck, and brought them together with a snap.

No sooner than he had done so than Aislinn's memory went completely blank. Loki was floating in a void without any sensory information at all, and Aislinn just seemed to be gone. He was not standing on anything, but he was not falling either. He was suspended in nothingness, and began to panic.

...

He released the spell with a gasp and was once more in the healing rooms. Aislinn looked up at him, somehow both expectant and afraid.

Loki didn't know that he was breathing heavily, gasping for air like he had been running for his life until he tried to speak. He choked out, "Nothing!" and then had to pace back and forth taking deep breaths to calm himself.

Odin looked shocked and confused, asking Aislinn if she could remember anything.

"I can't remember anything new." Aislinn said. "I remember him watching the memories again with me, though."

"There were no memories to find." Loki said at last. "Whatever magic took her captive saw to that. It was just a great… emptiness." He shivered.

"Rest now, child." Odin patted her shoulder and then turned to gesture for Loki to follow him. He did, expecting to be shouted at for his failure.

As soon as they exited the room, Odin turned to his younger son. "I want to thank you, for helping her." He said. "I realize she would have died but for you. And, I realize that you do not have to continue trying to aid her in her struggle to put her life back together. I've been proud of you, these last days."

Loki, having no idea what to say, simply bowed his head, although his eyes constantly scanned his father's face, trying to determine if he was being genuine.

Odin turned and began to walk away, leaning on his scepter. He looked back at Loki over his shoulder and said, "I expect you to take dinner with your family tonight, my son." He turned away and began to walk down the hall again as he said, "It has been too long."


	7. Palace Life

The following day, Odin came to the healing rooms early to speak with Aislinn;

"Aislinn, dear child, how do you fare?"

"Everything is new here. Mother told me stories about the great palace in the heart of Asgard, but she could not make me understand how many people would be here, or how large everything would be."

"You must not be very comfortable here. It is busy, and people are always coming and going. I have prepared a room for you, if you feel ready to leave the healing rooms."

"Where am I to live, my king?" Aislinn asked, looking suddenly intimidated.

"You will live here, in the palace." Odin shifted in place, and then sat down in a nearby chair. "I understand that you are a young woman, Aislinn, and that you may not be looking for a family. I also know that I cannot replace what you have lost…." Odin trailed off for a moment, before recollecting himself. "But, I want to take care of you, if you will let me. I never had a daughter, and I would welcome you into my family. I loved your mother very much, and owe her this and more."

Aislinn flushed, humbled. "It would be my honor, Allfather."

Odin patted her hand affectionately, and led her out into the palace. Aislinn was overcome with the size and beauty of the Asgardian palace. It was immense beyond her wildest imaginings. Odin did not take her on a tour of its many rooms, but instead led her directly up many flights of stairs. At length, they arrived at the wing that housed the royal chambers. She was amazed the number of guards, posted at regular intervals all along the palace halls.

"Up those few stairs and through those double doors are the chambers belonging to myself and my Frigga," Odin explained, pointing at the far end of the hall. He turned and gestured to great golden door directly behind them. "These chambers belong to my eldest son, Thor."

"And that door?" Aislinn gestured at a door further down the hallway. While just as grand as the door to Thor's chamber, this one was silver, and had strange runes carved into it.

Odin's face clouded a little bit as he explained those were the chambers of his younger son.

They continued down the hallway for a time, passing Loki's rooms, before coming to another massive golden door. "This is the room that would have belonged to a third royal child" Odin said, "If Frigga and I had ever borne more children. It will be yours now, if you will have it."

The guard posted nearby opened the enormous door for his king, and Aislinn gasped at the size of the rooms within. The first space was wide and open, with an ornate fire pit sunk into the floor, surrounded by comfortable sofas. One side of the room opened to the air, turning into a large beautiful balcony overlooking the sea. Gauzy curtains wafted lazily between the breathtaking view and the inside of the room. On the far side, another door opened into her sleeping chamber. It was much darker, with only two windows looking outside. A massive four poster bed dominated one end of the chamber, bedecked with the same flowing lightweight material as the curtains. The bed was covered in several layers of furs and ornate blankets, and looked extremely inviting. The adjoining room was much smaller than the others, and was obviously a dressing room. It had several large mirrors, and a woman's makeup table. Many beautifully carved wardrobes stood within the room, each groaning under the weight of fine clothing. There were several comfortable chairs and a small sofa in the room, although Aislinn could not understand who else she might have in her dressing room.

Although everything in her new dwelling was beautiful beyond compare, Aislinn was slightly deflated as she explored her surroundings. Everything, from the immense bed down to the fine shoes were varying shades of gold - the one color she felt very uncomfortable associating herself with, considering nature of her bindings. She had realized by now that almost the entire city was golden, a color the Asgardians obviously associated with light and honor.

"My Queen, Frigga, has been overseeing the decoration of this room from the moment I told her of your recovery." Odin explained. "Perhaps she was overzealous?" he continued as he observed the overstuffed dressing room and the intimidated expression on Aislinn's face.

"Oh no my King. It is generosity I can scarce credit. I am not sure that I have deserved this."

Odin took Aislinn's hands in his own and looked into her eyes. "My dear, your mother and father were both born into the noble houses of Asgard, and you might have been raised in this palace if they had remained here. They were both good companions to me, but your mother was my closest friend and adviser. The least I can do to honor her memory is to give her child the best my house has to offer. Besides, my Frigga has wished for a daughter every day since our sons were born. Please accept these gifts of affection, and understand that we give them with joy."

Aislinn nodded, humbled.

"I sense that you are not entirely happy, Aislinn." Odin looked at her questioningly. "Would you prefer…" he began, but Aislinn interrupted him.

"I am sorry, Allfather. I am grateful beyond words, but… all the gold… it makes me think of…"

Odin's head snapped up with sudden comprehension, and he seemed about to usher Aislinn out of the room when she continued, "Might I have your permission to change the colors?"

Odin looked at her confusedly, but nodded none the less.

Aislinn spread her hands apart, and took a few deep breaths. Magic leapt from her fingertips and spread out over everything in her chambers, causing them to ripple as though being observed through a haze. The colors began to change; all the golden adornments became colored with the colors of nature. Browns, spring greens, rich blues, they all blossomed over the rooms. In a flash, the spell was complete, and Aislinn's smile lit up her eyes. Odin was impressed, and asked her many questions about how it had been done.

Eventually, the Allfather made ready to take his leave. He explained that he did not want Aislinn to strain herself, and that he wished her to take all the time she needed to adjust. Her maids would soon introduce themselves, and they could fetch her anything she desired. Her meals would be sent up to her, and she was to rest until she felt ready to join the court. Aislinn smiled at this, although she had her trepidations about remaining in her chambers for any length of time. These new rooms might be many times the size of her original home, but she had always spent the majority of her time outdoors.

…

The moment Odin left her alone Aislinn flopped down onto the nearest sofa and stared into the fire. Her life was changing at such a pace, and she wasn't even sure exactly what had happened to her. Her home and her family were gone. She would have to build a new life here. There would be many choices in her future, but one thing was certain: she could not turn into an invalid princess in a golden tower. Her nature was by far too energetic and curious to stand it for long.

Overwhelmed by her worries and experiences, she drifted off to sleep before the fire and dreamt of green eyes in the darkness.

….

Aislinn was awoken by a gentle touch on her shoulder: her handmaidens had arrived. One, Tofa, was shorter and a bit heavy set, but her smile was warm and approachable. She wore her long mahogany hair loosely tied back from her face, and seemed pleased with all the world. Her counterpart was precisely the opposite. Sigrid was tall and willowy. Her bright yellow hair was plated elaborately like a fine lady's, and her face looked like it might have been carved by a master artist. Although kind, she was aloof. She carried herself with more pride and regal bearing than Aislinn thought she would ever be able to summon.

The handmaidens were both sweet girls, but they made Aislinn feel rather uncomfortable. Both girls were young, beautiful, and highborn. Only members of noble houses were permitted the honor of serving royalty. Aislinn had grown up in little more than a cottage and had never known riches before in her life, now feeling like an imposter.

The rest of the day was filled with many awkward encounters as Aislinn attempted to accept their ministrations with the grace of a noble lady. She had still been wearing loose fitting tunics and trousers in the healing rooms, and today she was re-wearing the garments Loki had magicked from a hospital sheet. She was sure that she looked like a ragamuffin peasant beside Tofa, and could not imagine quite what she looked like next to Sigrid.

The young women first set to readying a bath for Aislinn in a small room in the back of the dressing room that Aislinn had missed, and were surprised and mildly affronted when she used magic to summon and heat the water instead of the usual labor of heating it over the fire pit. Aislinn wanted to excuse herself and bathe in privacy, but she could not bring herself to break with custom again so soon.

Her mother had explained some things about court life to her; that service was an honor, whether it was to one's King in battle, or a maiden's duty to her mistress safe within the palace chambers. Aislinn might feel that she was not worth the honor of their service, but she was not about to give the impression that she thought they were beneath her honor either.

She suffered them to help her out of her raggedy clothes, and she practically dove into the bathtub to be better shielded from their eyes. Sigrid washed her hair with careful and skilled hands, while Tofa laced the water with sweet smelling salts and offered Aislinn a variety of bathing tools. Aislinn chose a large soft sponge at random, and set to quickly scrubbing at herself until Sigrid was finished lathering her long hair. She had to admit, Sigrid was gentle and her touch was very relaxing, but she still dove under the water to rinse out her hair the moment Sigrid had finished, and promptly stumbled out of the tub as soon as she was relatively devoid of suds.

Tofa wrapped her in soft towels, deftly forming a make-shift robe of them, and led Aislinn out into the dressing room, gesturing for her to sit in the plush chair before the makeup table. Before they could even begin, Aislinn hurriedly told them, "I- I do not wear makeup… would you mind, could we not do that today?"

Sigrid allowed herself a scandalized look as she stood behind Aislinn (not realizing that she could be seen in the mirror) but Tofa smiled widely and said, "Of course dear! Would you like to wear some perfume, perhaps?"

They set about trying to mold her into something vaguely resembling a fine lady. Sigrid carefully combed out every tangle, remaining mostly silent, while Tofa flitted about the room chattering away. She filed Aislinn's nails, offered her a variety of clothes and shoes, all the while tittering about the palace gossip. Aislinn settled on the simplest most comfortable looking clothes Tofa showed her, reasoning with her that she was to take dinner in her room and there was little sense in dirtying very fine things if no one would see them.

Sigrid dried Aislinn's beautiful red hair on a soft towel, and began binding it tightly to Aislinn's head in a rather severe style, when Tofa intercepted her. "Oh! My lady's hair looks so much more beautiful loose. Look at the length Sigrid, and the lovely curls!" Sigrid curtsied curtly and excused herself from the room, going off in a huff.

"You must forgive her, my lady. She is used to being the most beautiful maiden in Odin's court, but no longer!" Tofa exclaimed cheerfully, "Sigrid might be very lovely, but the court is abuzz with news of your beauty now. I think she had hoped to catch herself a prince with her gorgeous face!" Tofa giggled quietly as she weaved a few delicate braids into Aislinn's hair.

"In fact, Prince Thor has not been able to speak of anything but your beauty and the way he saved your life!" Tofa continued in a confidential tone of voice.

"Thor?" Aislinn queried, "He was not the one who saved me…"

"Really my lady? It is the only story on everyone's lips in the whole realm, how Thor broke the magical bindings on your arms? Is it not the truth?" She asked incredulously, her hands pausing on Aislinn's hair.

"Well, yes…" Aislinn replied, "but he only knew what to do because Loki discovered their meaning and origin. He is the one who saved my life, I think."

Tofa's face became suddenly troubled as she drew the delicate braids to the back of Aislinn's head. They created a subtle restraint on the body of her hair, stopping it from falling into her face. The rest of her hair spilled down her back so long she had to flick it to the side to prevent herself from sitting on it.

"What is the matter, Tofa?" Aislinn asked, "Have I said something wrong?"

She sighed and hesitated, but eventually answered, "Although one should not speak ill of any member of the royal family," she prefaced, "the younger Prince is known to be a bit of a… trickster. He has been out of favor with his father these many months because of… But no." She cut herself off and smiled briefly up at Aislinn in the mirror, "You should judge for yourself, and I am sure you will. There! Finished and lovely if I may say so. Let's get you into that dress."

Tofa helped Aislinn into the simple white dress she had chosen. It was little more than a shift, but Aislinn liked its simplicity. Tofa got her way with some prettily decorated sandals and a few pieces of jewelry: a delicate chain with a pendant of silver expertly carved to look like a rose, a simple ring affixed with a single opal, and a chain bracelet with many small gemstones that dangled from it like raindrops.

The minute that Tofa stopped fussing over her, Sigrid called from the other room, and the three young women were reunited in the large sitting room. A sideboard had been set up, and piled high with food. Aislinn served herself a plate while Tofa asked her questions about her preferences in food. Aislinn owned that most Asgardian food was foreign to her, as her parents had lived in a very simple way on the far away planet on which she was raised. At this Sigrid let out a huff of disapproval, but Tofa simply launched into a description of each article on the table. This meat had a hearty and delicious taste, that fish was light and sweet, those fruits were tart at first, but had a refreshing and sweet aftertaste and so on. In the end, Aislinn simply took a tiny bit of almost everything and was surprised to find she loved almost all of it.

…

The following two days were much the same for Aislinn. She bathed, was dressed, ate, rested, read books and chatted with her maids until she could feel her teeth almost set on edge. She was not cut out for such a quiet life.

She tried to explain herself to Tofa, whom she was beginning to feel very close to already. "I know that I should be grateful for all I am given, and be satisfied," she began, "but in my old life, I was never still, in body or in mind. I trained to be a fighter like my mother, and to be a sorcerer like my father. I read books of history and explored the country side, hunted and worked the soil with my hands! I must be – or at least feel useful and productive or I will simply throw myself off the tower!"

"Perhaps you should ask the Allfather if you can continue your training?" Tofa offered. "There are only a few female warriors in service, but one of them is the beautiful and noble Lady Sif who is about your age, and she is close to the Prince and the King. If they can admit her into the Prince's little band of adventurers, surely they cannot deny you the right to train."

"Odin seems to think I am cast out of porcelain." Aislinn said rather despairingly. "I fear he would answer 'No' out of hand. He wants me to 'rest' and feels that I may be overwhelmed with court life. I suppose I might be. I know almost nothing about the procedures and manners of a royal court."

"But I could teach you!" Tofa exclaimed. "If you ask Odin formally while he holds court, he will have to consider it properly and give you a real answer!"

The following day was given over to teaching Aislinn some of the niceties of court, how to curtsy, how to address the king, the gesture of closing her fist against her chest while kneeling to offer her fealty as a warrior. When they had rehearsed her little speech to the point of redundancy, Tofa insisted on organizing an elaborate wardrobe for what would be Aislinn's impromptu introduction to the court. She insisted on a lavish formal gown, despite Aislinn's distaste for the elaborate and difficult to wear garments. They eventually settled on an amethyst silk dress, which highlighted the color of her skin, hair and eyes. The gown was simpler than some, without heavy layers of draped fabric, but still expertly made and flowed like water through the hands. Tofa amused herself arranging out a lavish set of jewelry, which Aislinn managed to negotiate down to a large pendant of clear stone that caught the light like a star and several hair pins each studded with the same kind of stone at the end.

In the morning Aislinn rose early, breakfasted lightly and spent the balance of the morning pacing the room, until her maidens began to prepare her for the court. She even suffered Sigrid to apply a very little make up to her eyes to make their midnight blue stand out brighter and more noticeable, although she would wear no stain on her lips or cheeks.


	8. The Court

Aislinn threw open the door to the throne room and strode into the court with more bravado than she felt. She had no sooner entered the room then all eyes were on her, and whispers broke out in such quantity the room began to sound as though it were full of shouts.

Loki stood at his mother's side before the throne as was his place, a duty he did not forgo even in his punishment. In the moment that Aislinn came into the room, he forgot to draw breath. The silken gown was not as elaborate or embellished as other court ladies, but it flowed over her and clung to her body in a way that he could not help but notice. Her body's beauty had been undeniable even in simple clothes in the healing rooms, but shown off to greater affect, it was enough to make a seasoned man sweat. Her hips were full and swayed gently as she walked. Her limbs, though willowy and fine were possessed of a feline grace that betrayed their strength and power. Her chest was full and pleasing to the eye, especially now as the gown scooped low and a beautiful necklace settled gently between their curves. Her hair, still that unique deep red, was bound loosely and flowed around her, swaying with her hips. Her face, though tense in the situation, was still the most beautiful and perfect one he had ever seen.

Loki had to shake himself slightly to stop from gawping, and stretched his usual stoic mask across his face. He was far more displeased to see that his brother and his companions were not even trying to be gracious. Fandral and Thor whispered together and laughed, even Volstagg seemed to encourage them. Sif looked positively envious and pointedly looked away. Only Hogun remained stony faced in the sight of Aislinn's unexpected appearance.

Odin also did not remain impassive. He looked concerned and a bit aggrieved. He watched unmoving as Aislinn came before the throne. She curtseyed gracefully as befitted a lady, but then knelt on one knee and placed a fist above her heart as only a warrior would. Her dress billowed around her as she knelt in a fetching way, and Loki was mesmerized for an instant by the swirling fabric around her prefect form. Her claim of a warriors skill and rank sent out another ripple of surprised chatter, and even Odin sat up a little straighter on his throne.

"My King, I must speak with you." Aislinn spoke, low and deliberate.

Odin, at the moment possibly lost for words, simply gestured to her graciously and she rose to her feet to speak:

"I must beg of you some employment." Aislinn stated simply, allowing a moment of silence to fall before she continued. "I have trained since my childhood in the arts of combat and magic" she stated, "And I would prefer to continue my study here in my new life. I must be allowed to be of some practical use to the realms and to serve my king as my family has done before me."

Before Odin could reply, Thor sauntered down the steps of the throne to stand beside Aislinn, eyeing her up and down as he went. Loki's jaw locked suddenly tight, and his hand curled into a fist, despite all his efforts to remain still. "I will train her!" He boomed out brashly. "If you will permit it," he said turning to his father. Loki's head filled with dark plans as his heart felt dread at the prospect of Thor being always in Aislinn's company. Thor winked at her with his merry blue eyes, but she was too focused on her King's face as she awaited a reply to notice.

"Very well." Replied Odin. "I will watch your training carefully before making any decisions about sending you out into real combat on the hunt or the battlefield. Thor, you will not permit her to accompany you on any such endeavor without my explicit permission."

"Thank you, Allfather." Aislinn replied.

The Allfather gestured to a matronly looking older adviser to come forward, and asked her if she would take Aislinn into her tutelage. At this, Aislinn spoke again.

"Forgive me, Allfather, if I give offense, but I wondered if I might beg the indulgence of Prince Loki." A hush settled over the room as Odin turned to face his new charge. Loki felt his face register shock despite his best effort of control: his eyes opening wide and his lips parting in a silent question. The seething disquiet of knowing Aislinn was to spend her days with his brother was overcome with the knowledge that she had publicly sought him out as her teacher.

She continued before Odin could say anything, "Your son was the only man capable of discovering the nature of my restraints, and the one responsible for my recovery," she reminded him, although Thor made a bit of a face at that assertion. "I had hoped, that in the course of my training we might work together towards some more answers about the nature of my captors."

Odin could not help but agree, although he had real doubts about his son's accepting the offer to comfort him, right up until Aislinn turned to Loki and he gave a half bow of assent.

"Very well then," Odin spoke, rising from the throne and silencing the room by bringing down his staff, creating a disproportionately loud boom echoing through the room. "From this day forward let all of Asgard know that I take this young woman into my charge and into my family. She will have all the duties and honor of being my relation and my servant, and shall be treated as such by all the members of my kingdom. A feast will be held in her honor as soon as preparations may be made ready!"

The room erupted into general applause at the promise of a feast day, and Aislinn curtseyed low before excusing herself amid the general din. She escaped the throne room and was in Tofa's arms in a moment as she allowed herself to at last tremble with the nerves she had suppressed,being so vulnerable and on display before the court.

….

Lacking any further plans for the day, Aislinn returned immediately to her room. She flopped on the couch in a decidedly unladylike manner as she tried to relax and slow her heart rate. It had been intimidating enough to enter the court and speak out before Odin, but asking for Loki's help was an additional unexpected burden.

She had given her King and his court some true reasons for her choice, but another reason simmered below the surface that she was not even ready to admit fully: she found the dark prince attractive. Her decision to request him as a teacher had been entirely spur of the moment, and surprised her as much as it had him. She thought about the shocked expression on his face, and a small voice deep inside her was gleeful that she had put a chip in his mask.

No sooner than she had settled in to her seat and started to calm down, a knock came at the door. Sigrid answered it, and exclaimed as she curtseyed, apparently surprised about the visitor. Aislinn turned around only to see Loki standing framed in her doorway. He came further into the room, and they greeted each other cumbersomely, and then stood awkwardly for a few moments. Neither seemed sure of what to say or do.

Unable to bear the silence any longer, Aislinn, still flustered, said, "….Thank you, for agreeing to train me in magic." He did not respond right away, so she continued, "I hope it will not be an inconvenience for you, I have already studied for many years."

"You will want to train in combat in the mornings I assume," Loki said. "My brother," he said with some acid in his voice, "prefers to train in the morning and late afternoon, when the sun is not too hot. I spend the afternoon and evenings in the library, you are welcome to join me there." Loki opted to leave out that Thor would not train mornings after feasting days, festivals or private parties because of his tendency to drink too much.

Aislinn, who had been staring at her hands or Loki's chest now glanced up to his face, only to find herself transfixed by his piercing gaze. His eyes were the pale green of a new leaf, and as intense as the stare of a predator. It was the first time Aislinn had ever really given herself a moment to study his face undistracted by anything else. The gentle curve of his lip, his pale and unblemished skin, the dark contrast of his hair, and the air of mischievousness and intelligence that clung to him began to overpower her. He was handsome… more than that, he was beautiful. She shivered subtly, but was not at all sure if it went unnoticed by Loki.

"I wonder if you might like a tour of the palace," he continued, barely missing a beat. "I am sure no one has had the forethought to ask you if you would enjoy it." Loki said this smoothly, in a low and rich tone of voice that sent tingles up and down Aislinn's spine. She nodded and thanked him rather uncomfortably, and he told her he would come back to take her in the morning.

They made some vague small talk for a moment longer about her health and his magic and the question of her memories before he excused himself and left.

She fell back on the couch and cradled her head in her hands for a moment, letting out a soft moan of dismay. The whole encounter had felt strange and unnatural, and she silently cursed herself thinking that Loki must find her very foolish. Little did she know that he was likewise slumped against the wall behind his own door at that very moment, silently pounding the back of his head into the stone repeatedly.

"I do not blame you for that my lady!" exclaimed Tofa, bustling into the room and sitting beside Aislinn. "Most people seem to feel that way after talking to Loki. They say he has a silver tongue, but for the most part he just seems to set people on edge these days. I think he finds sport in it."

Aislinn thought she would wallow in the awkwardness of that encounter the whole day long, until distracted by a great loud knocking at her door only an hour later.


	9. Blades

**Hey guys! Thanks for all the favorites and follows, it feels really great to have your support, but please do comment! I'd like to know what you do and don't like about my writing. Thanks! **

...

Her next guest was Thor, to her handmaiden's great delight. Sigrid's face was bright and elated, and she babbled away as she led him into Aislinn's room. This time, Aislinn remained seated on the sofa. He sat down across from her and chatted jovially for a few minutes before telling Aislinn that training would be in the morning as predicted.

Aislinn said very little to him at first, watching him flirt shamelessly with both Sigrid and herself practically simultaneously. He was loud and boisterous, and undeniably handsome. His wide face was suited to a cheerful expression, inviting and pleasing. His eyes were likewise bright and full of laughter and boasting, although Aislinn fancied they hid something dangerous within. He was the perfect Asgardian from head to toe: bulging muscles, handsome features, rugged stubble and all. But unlike Loki's air of intelligence, Thor's attitude reeked of overconfidence and bravado in a manner that Aislinn found cloying.

After a few moments more of this, Thor actually arrived at his reason for visiting: "The feast will be tomorrow night, and there will be a ceremony for you. A warrior must accept his weapon from his… or her… King." He paused here to wink at Sigrid again, who was carried off in a fit of giggles. Thor continued again, "But Father and I do not know what weapons you would use. He wants us to meet him in the armory, so that you can choose."

Aislinn gestured to her gown and said, "I had better change into something else… this dress was probably not made for the testing of weapons."

Thor laughed and made a derisive sound, saying "I did not know there was a right or wrong outfit for choosing a dagger or an axe."

"I have no intention of choosing any weapon without testing its weight and balance. As I am sure you know, my prince, one must feel a weapon in ones hand to know how it will serve in battle." She replied archly.

Thor looked tremendously impressed, and told her he would wait. Aislinn retreated to her dressing room, although she noted the absence of one of her handmaidens as she did so.

Rifling rapidly through her many and various closets, she eventually came across one filled with clothes that looked as though they were designed for riding, including fine leather breaches and silken tunics. She shed her gown and threw it lightly over the back of a chair.

She grabbed a pair of breaches in an attractive pale red-brown and pulled them on. They fit her like a second skin, but were so skillfully made that they did nothing to restrict her movement. She grabbed a tunic at random and pulled it over her head, taking a brief moment to look at herself in the mirror as she tugged her hair roughly out of the collar and let it fall down her back. The shirt was robin's egg blue, her mother's favorite color. It had a tall collar that ended just before her jaw line, but had a deep folded neckline that exposed her collarbone and some of the milky skin of her chest. The tunic was embroidered around the neckline and collar with a pattern of vines and leaves in a pale green. Impulsively she touched the threads, her magic staining them darker and making them show up more vividly on the tunic. She chided herself for the silliness of it; but in that moment of impulse, she had wanted some small show of her preference in prince.

Leaving the mirror, Aislinn sought out some boots. She found a pair of them in a rack at the back of the wall. They were a lovely chocolate brown, and as soft and supple as butter. She pulled them on with much more genuine pleasure than she had felt about any of Tofa's bejeweled sandals. She wriggled her toes inside them contentedly, and then grabbed a ribbon to bind up her hair. She hastily tied her hair out of the way, and came back into the sitting room in a slight huff.

Thor rose as she approached and offered his arm to Aislinn. She took it, and they walked out into the hall. Thor did not seem in any particular hurry, although Aislinn was eager to go and choose her weapons. He seemed to always be trying to touch her: when she slipped her arm out of his to walk alone as she was accustomed, he threw his arm about her shoulder for a time, and then about her waist. She did her best to slide out of his grip as they walked, but if his hand were to fall, he would have it back on her again in a moment. It made her more and more uncomfortable until they finally arrived in the armory, and she was able to slip past Thor in order to greet her king.

The armory was as vast as she had imagined it: the arsenal of the protector of the nine realms was extreme. Within the cavernous room stood seemingly endless racks of weaponry, stretching on almost out of sight. Thor explained that these were the weapons of the army, and that there were more unique artifacts to choose from for royalty. Odin led the way into a smaller room, where rows of weapons were displayed on beautiful wooden shelves.

"These weapons are set aside for the great heroes of our age," explained the Allfather, "Many of them are enchanted, and all of them are without price."

"Look around," said Thor, "and see what calls to you."

The room was divided by large wooden displays that were about half the height of the tall walls and ran almost the length of the room. The great wooden structures created faux walls, where weapons were hung on carefully crafted hooks. Each row was adorned at its head by an example of a weapon one could find within that rack.

Aislinn first passed a halberd on display, and leaning around it to see the weapons on the wooden wall behind it, she saw a great many pole arms of different makes. She continued down the rows, bypassing hand and great axes, two handed swords and hammers without a blink. She paused for a moment at the row of bows, but continued on. Her face lit up a bit when she finally arrived at a sword, but she soon turned back from that display when she saw that they were all quite long.

The next row over had a pair of weapons: a short sword and a small dagger were shown, and in these Aislinn showed real interest. She walked down the row where many fine examples were displayed, often stopping to touch or lift a sword or a dagger and turn it over in her hand. None seemed to please her, particularly those that were heavily decorated, of which there were many.

She was displeased when the sword was too long or the dagger to short, and began to despair of finding any weapon to suit her. Then, as she walked along, a set caught her eye. Both weapons in this set were of a similar length to each other, the sword only inches longer than the knife. The grips were covered in fine but plain green leather, the pommel stones large sky blue gems. They lacked the garish carvings of the other swords, but made up for it in a delicate silver inlay of knotwork.

Aislinn, hand trembling slightly, took the weapons down to test their feel in her hands, first one and then the other. They felt perfectly weighted and balanced in her hand, like living extensions of her arms. She spun them about expertly, and dropped into a fighting pose. She lashed out at an invisible target, and marveled at the speed these perfect weapons seemed to lend her. She stopped with a satisfied smile, and turned to look at Odin and Thor.

Thor seemed amused at her choice, thinking as he did that her weapons seemed typical of a slight female warrior, mere toys. Odin, however, wore a look of pride. There was a sad cast to his eyes as well, and he walked forward to speak to Aislinn.

"These are Herja and Hlin," Odin explained, gesturing first to the sword and then to the dagger. "Destruction and protection; the two duties of blades. They are also among the most powerful and magical weapons of Asgard's ancestors."

"If they are so powerful, why do they remain unclaimed?" Ask Thor, his hand instinctively touching Mjolnir's shaft as it hung at his side.

"There is a legend about these blades. It is said that they are cursed do not suffer the touch of a man well, and will turn against him. But, once in a generation, they will serve a great female warrior so long as her cause is just and her heart is pure."

"If they are cursed, why did you let me touch them?" Exclaimed Aislinn, knowing that she should put them down but felt strangely loath to do so.

"Because they were your mother's, and your grandmother's and her mother's: They have been the weapons of the first born daughter of your house for time immemorial." Aislinn stared at them shocked. There were hundreds of weapons here, and she had chosen these blades out of them all.

"I do not understand. If they were my mothers, how did they come to be here?"

Odin sighed deeply, but answered. "On the night that she took you away, your mother left these blades behind, along with a letter. She wrote that she could not afford to explain her actions, but that she hoped to return to Asgard when you were grown. She said that she left the blades behind because she felt that they belonged to the people of Asgard, and she felt she was abandoning them for your sake."

Aislinn shifted uncomfortably and then changed the subject saying, "It seems disrespectful to practice with weapons of legend. I would not want them to come to harm."

Odin smiled sadly and replied, "They will not. They have survived a thousand battles and are tough enough to cut stone without losing their edge. They will make fine cohorts for you." Odin then excused himself to rest. Aislinn wondered about his age as she watched him leave, seeming feeble and tired.

…

Thor cajoled Aislinn in agreeing to go immediately out to the training grounds so that he could put her through her paces. He claimed to want to know how much he would have to teach her. Aislinn was surprised when Thor did not take her to train on a pell or a wooden effigy, but led her straight to a flat area of open ground.

He called Mjolnir to hand, and shouted for Aislinn to ready herself. She was still surprised, but had to admit to feeling a thrill up her spine as well. It had been too long since she had pushed herself in training, and the new sword belt strapped around her waist felt good. She drew out her new blades from their scabbards and balanced them in her hands, slipping down into a defensive posture.

Thor began to pace towards her like a predator circling prey, grinning and calling to her. She did not respond at first, and then gestured for him to come closer with one finger. That was all the encouragement he needed. Thor rushed at her, hammer raised. Aislinn tumbled out of the way in a forward roll, landing neatly on her feet behind the surprised prince. She dodged and weaved out of his way with surprisingly little effort, Mjolnir being a slow and heavy weapon.

She did not know it, but many floors above her, a pair of green eyes watched. He thought she looked like a skilled dancer, dexterous and tireless she leapt and rolled, dodged and ducked his brother's every attack. She would make a better sparring partner than trainee for Thor, he thought. She was a beautiful thing to behold, although jealous concern still writhed in his gut. No one ever chose him above Thor, not a friend, not a lover, not a father. He felt like every tick of the clock now carried Aislinn farther away from him.

Oblivious to his concern, Aislinn continued her deadly dance with Thor. They were both becoming more tired now, and while Thor could never catch Aislinn long enough to hit her, Aislinn could not manage slip past his defenses either. Eventually, Aislinn had enough and called for him to stop. She laughed delightedly at the good exercise, stretching up her arms up as far as they would go.

"You barely even tried to attack me that whole time," said Thor laughing also. "How will you win in combat if you never try to hurt your opponent?"

Aislinn laughed and replied, "I was just taking it easy on you!"

"You were supposed to show me everything you had!" said Thor. "What could you have done differently to fight me better?" He asked.

"I usually use magic and steel together." Aislinn replied, "But I did not think it would be fair in our first fight."

"Again!" Thor bellowed merrily, dropping into a combat stance. "I want to see what you think you can do to best me!"

"…Okay. Ready?" called Aislinn. He nodded with a great grin on his face as Aislinn rushed at him, blades aloft. She was leaving herself open, and Thor readied himself to tap her on the chest with his hammer and declare victory. He raise Mjolnir, and… She vanished! Aislinn simply disappeared as though she had fallen through into the ground. Thor dropped his stance and cast about looking for her, when he felt an abrupt weight on his back. Aislinn was perched, standing half way up his back, sword at his throat and dagger at his side, leaving him totally helpless and exposed.

"Do you concede?" Aislinn asked playfully.

"Never!" Shouted Thor, a little more annoyed than he wanted to seem. He reached around and tried to pull her off his back, but she only tightened her hold on his neck in response, the flat of the blade pressing in.

"Oh come on!" She cried. "I have you!" He would not give up, and instead of doing him an injury, she allowed herself to be grabbed off his back, flipping forward into the air and landing gracefully on her feet a yard or two in front of him.

Thor did not remain cross for long, and they laughed and joked together as they walked back inside, unaware of the pain and frustration every merry laugh caused in their observer.


	10. Swear

Aislinn woke early the next morning, excited and nervous. She was dressed and pacing her balcony before her handmaidens arrived. She chose to wear breaches and a tunic again – she had no need for dresses in her old life, and preferred the freedom of less restricting garments. She chose a tunic that fit her in a very pleasing way, close fit with a low bust line. It was a bright crimson red, which she hated. It clashed garishly with her deep red hair. She ran her fingers over it playfully, and watched it turn emerald green. She smiled, but knew it wasn't appropriate. She ran her hand over it again and it turned an attractive steely grey.

She ate very little breakfast, and continued to twitch and fidget until she drove Tofa to distraction. "I do not blame you dear, for being nervous about this. I know I would be terrified about spending the day with the trickster prince. Although why you agreed to go in the first place I will never understand! Come here and sit still, or better yet come and choose your dress for the feast tonight."

Aislinn could not imagine trying to sit through another one of Tofa's little fashion shows. She sat down beside her and apologized for her distraction. And, against her better judgment, she gave Tofa full license to choose anything at all for her to wear rather than even think about it further.

She tried to read, but her eyes simply ghosted across the page without absorbing anything. At long last, the gentle tap came at the door, and Aislinn leapt up to answer it herself.

The day began awkwardly. Loki might be silver tongued, but he was reticent to speak to her at first. After everything that he had been through, he was no longer quick to smile or to speak without cause. He wrestled with his desire to be near her, and the certain knowledge that it would cause him nothing but pain. Trust did not come easy to the dark prince.

Aislinn managed to coax him out of his shell after the first few rooms, which he showed her rather mechanically and disinterestedly. He had walked her through the throne room and the great hall with little conversation, the pair stealing idle glances at each other before staring unseeingly at the floor or the ceiling.

Aislinn found herself comparing her companion to his elder brother constantly. Where Thor seemed determined to force friendship on her by being aggressively jovial and physical, Loki remained more distant and cool. When they walked, he more often than not rested his hands behind his back. When they spoke, it was not all heavy handed flirtatiousness, but the conversation of equals. She wondered at the differences between them, and idly wondered if Loki simply did not like her as much as Thor seemed to.

When they entered one of the palace's libraries, everything changed. Aislinn's excitement and enthusiasm were palpable, and infectious. She asked many insightful questions, and cajoled him into real conversation about both magic and the history of the realms. She knew more than he had given her credit for, and he was delighted to find that they shared much in common.

He spoke intelligently and fluently, and as the day wore on and they passed through more and more of the palace, he began to turn witty. She laughed freely and joyfully, both at his humor and in happiness at the light it brought to his eyes to be clever and facetious. As the hours wore on and they talked, Loki began to realize that his attraction to her was only increasing. Her body and her face were beautiful enough to draw him near, but her pure heart and bright mind were weaving a trap he feared he would never escape.

After she had seen all she could stand of galleries, state rooms and feasting halls, Aislinn asked if they might go into the garden: She had spent her young life in nature, and missed the smell of green things and the light of the sun on her skin.

As soon as they were out in the garden, the joy that radiated from Aislinn was an almost tangible thing. She was almost gleeful, and if it could be believed, she seemed more beautiful in the full sunlight than she had by window or torch. The bright golden light put a cast over her hair that seemed to set it aflame, bright and intense.

She asked him the name of every flower they encountered, and told him many tales about being in nature with her mother. He led her to a corner of the garden for a certain flower he had always admired, especially now. It was a lily, large as a handbreadth across, and it was a gorgeous midnight blue, speckled over with tiny points of silver. He pulled a small throwing dagger from his hip, and lopped off the stem of the loveliest one and presented it to Aislinn. "For your hair tonight," he said. "I thought it would suit you well."

"I had almost forgotten about tonight!" Aislinn gasped. "I promised to be back and making ready hours ago, Tofa will kill me." She said, her hand covering her mouth.

"Do you know your way back on your own now?" Asked Loki.

"I think so, yes." Said Aislinn.

"Good. Then I have done my job." Loki said in a teasing voice, and gave her a slight bow. Aislinn smiled and left, although it perturbed her somewhat that Loki had not kissed her hand, as other men in Asgard seemed to do. It was as if he was meticulously keeping his hands to himself.

Loki sat down on the edge of a fountain and stared off in the direction Aislinn had gone, chiding himself. This was rapidly turning from a fascination into something disturbingly like love and devotion. He was the prince in shame, and had no room in his life for love.

…

Aislinn arrived to a steaming bath and a scolding Tofa. Her bath was short and sweet because of her delay, although she did not really mind. Tofa and Sigrid both threw themselves into drying and dressing her hair into an elaborate and fashionable style typical of the women of Asgard. As they buzzed around her, Aislinn worried fitfully about Tofa's choice of dress. She imagined something huge and flamboyant with many layers of fabric, bedecked with ribbons and jewels and groaned inwardly.

When Tofa led her into the dressing room, however, a huge flouncing dress was exactly not what she saw. On a display in the center of the room was a set of armor. It was beautiful and elaborate without being flashy, and lacked the large metal plates of the armor of Lady Sif. It was crafted ornately from leather, close fitting and sleek to suit her graceful movements. The leather was black as night, and it was reinforced across the chest, arms and shins with small metal plates of a midnight blue with silver edging. The cloth details on the armor, including a short cape, were the robin's egg blue of her mother's amulet, which hung around the neck of the armor suit.

She touched it and stared at it wonderingly, at a loss for words.

"Today, you become a warrior of Asgard as well as a member of Odin's house." Tofa said, serious for once. "It is fitting that you present yourself as a fighter, and accept your weapon from your king's hand."

"Does every warrior go through this ceremony?"

"No, only those warriors of high birth, and even so, very few are initiated into service by the king himself. New warriors of noble houses are presented to the king a few times a year. Odin means to do you honor through this ceremony, and to make you a full member of his household: royalty."

"Am I to be called a Princess, then?" Aislinn said uncertainly.

"No, I do not think so." Said Tofa. "You will be a Lady, as though you were Odin's niece."

Aislinn was mildly surprised when the two women showed themselves to be as adept with strapping on armor as lacing a gown and setting hair. Sigrid, for once, actually seemed enthusiastic about this step, chattering on about how she had missed the smell of leather armor, and how she had once helped her father and brothers don their armor for battle or competition. Aislinn glanced at her beautiful servant and wondered off hand if her joviality might also stem from Aislinn wearing less feminine attire.

Aislinn twisted about wearing the armor to get a feel for its movement, and was amazed at the craftsmanship of the piece. "This was not what I was expecting to wear today," she mused, "but I love it. I may never let you dress me in anything else. I see now why Thor and his friends so often wear their armor in the palace."

Tofa laughed and clapped her on the arm, saying "You still have to change before the feast tonight," she said, "We can't have you dancing with Prince Thor in your armor! Even he won't be wearing his." Aislinn thought she saw Sigrid flinch at that comment, but she did her best to ignore it as she strapped her empty sword belt to her waist.

…

The ceremony was intimidating, but at least this time Aislinn was supposed to appear before the court. She took several deep breaths before walking up to the long isle that would lead her into the throne room. The crowd was simply massive, and they cheered as she walked. She felt a bit like an animal on display, and wondered how many of the people had attended this event simply to satisfy or feed their curiosity. She tried not to let it get to her, and held her chin high.

As she came closer to the throne, she could see Odin upon it, and his family arranged below. Queen Frigga, with her kind smile, stood to the left of the throne highest upon the steps. Below her stood Loki, who, in spite of himself, seemed unable to swallow a small smile at the corner of his lips, and shifted his feet again and again. On the right had side stood Thor, slightly above Loki. Aislinn noted that the warriors three and Lady Sif stood on his side of the throne also. His most trusted friends and battle companions. Aislinn wondered why Loki had no inner circle standing with him. She wondered if her duties as an adopted daughter of Odin would call her to stand on those steps, and if she would be able to stand behind the prince of her choice.

At length, she arrived at the bottom of the throne and knelt before her king, remaining completely still until Odin waved his hand for silence.

"Aislinn, daughter of Maeve, do you come here to become a servant to your king and a warrior for your people?"

"I do."

"Do you swear to obey the order of the King of Asgard, and accept the penalties for disobedience should you falter?"

"I swear."

"Do you swear to cast aside your own needs and safety for the glory and protection of Asgard and its citizens?"

"I swear."

"Do you swear to lead justly and honorably as befits a member of the royal house of Asgard?"

"I so swear."

"Then rise, and receive your weapons from your King." Aislinn rose with seamless grace, and mounted the stairs one at a time until she stood just below the Allfather. "These blades are Herja and Hlin, ancient blades of Asgard." Odin said, raising the blades aloft. The pale blue stones seemed to blaze with their own inner fire as the sunlight glanced off of them. "Bear them in service to all the realms, but know that they belong to Asgard. Their history began before the birth of anyone present, and will continue on long after the days of our passing." He handed both blades to Aislinn, who held them aloft for all to see before sheathing them, one on each hip. "I, Odin Allfather, proclaim this day that the Lady Aislinn is a member of my house, my family, and a warrior in my service."

The assembled crowed erupted into a din of cheers, and the Royal family turned to leave the hall through a door behind the throne. Once in private, everyone offered Aislinn their congratulations. Odin smiled and patted her shoulder, Frigga and Sif gave her hugs. Hogun clapped her enthusiastically on the shoulder. Fandral made an elegant bow and kissed her hand and wrist with a suggestive wink, and Volstagg picked her up and declared that she looked 'good enough to eat.' When her feet found the floor again, she felt Thor throw his arm around her shoulders and say, "You did good!"

None of it meant as much to Aislinn as the small smile and the slight raise of Loki's eyebrow as she slipped from under Thor's touch, excusing herself to find Tofa and make ready for the feast, which would begin soon.


	11. The Feast

Aislinn walked into to the feast hall with the royal family, all the other guests already seated. She wore a simple dress in the color of her mother's amulet, which was the only piece of jewelry she wore. Her only other decoration was the lily in her hair. The dress was form fitting as she preferred, and this time had a low scooping style that left much of her well-muscled back bare. It was also slit up the side to just above her knee, and had a fetching ruffled edge. Thor and Loki both were clad in attractive but simple garments, not wearing armor to the feast. One brother wearing black and green, the other wearing crimson and gold as was their custom.

Odin led his Lady into the room first, and sat at a high table set aside for the two of them. Thor offered Aislinn her arm, but she walked into the room alone with both princes in her wake, one slightly affronted, the other slightly amused.

They began to walk to a large table set in a place of honor under the dais of the king and queen, Aislinn looking forward to taking her seat. As they progressed across the room, Loki turned and started to go elsewhere, out of habit avoiding the table where his brother and his friends would sit. Aislinn, however, called to him and asked if he would sit beside her. Loki looked mildly surprised, but nodded and followed. In the end, Aislinn sat with one prince on either side of her.

Odin opened the feast, and everyone began the business of eating, drinking, and talking. Aislinn enjoyed herself at first, although it troubled her that Loki said nothing. Thor and his friends were friendly and cheerful, and Aislinn found herself liking them very much. Sif and Hogun were a bit more reserved, but Fandral was as charming as he was handsome, and Volstagg was jovial and funny, telling many tales of delicious feasts eaten.

The night wore on, and the food on the plates began to dwindle. Some guests had started to dance and sing, although no one from Aislinn's table had stood yet. She wanted to explore the room and meet new people, but sensed that Thor and his friends were waiting for something.

When everyone had finished their food, excepting Volstagg, the groups' conversations faded away. It was then that Thor started telling a boasting tale. He described some of the battles the warriors assembled at the table had taken part in, with great embellishments. He bragged of their prowess and strength, about the many beasts and armies they had defeated. As the tale was told, the others around the table would interject some accounts of their own, enemies bravely slain and treasures one.

They began to act out the movements of the battles where they sat; Sif miming stabbing an unseen enemy below her with a spear and twisting, Thor smashing a plate with a drumstick Mjolnir, Volstagg twisting his hands in the air in a gesture that suggested the snapping of necks. Aislinn began to feel a bit sick.

When the story concluded, Thor was about to launch into another, when he turned to look at Aislinn and saw her face. "Why, Aislinn. You do not look impressed or pleased! Did you not like the story? It was a glorious day!"

"No. I did not like the story." She said in a low voice that betrayed her feelings. Her jaw worked for a moment, and her eyes stared out passed the table at nothingness, as she continued, "War is desolation, and terror, and anguish. There is nothing glorious about battle."

"What do you mean?" Asked Thor in an affronted voice.

"Thor, are you loved?" Aislinn asked. He looked confused again, so she said, "Do you have a mother and father who love you?" Thor nodded slowly, still looking perplexed. "Would they mourn you, if you were to come to harm?"

"Of course!" Thor said, as though it was an obvious and stupid question.

"So tell me again, Prince," Aislinn said in a dark and dangerous voice, "How many sons did you take from their mothers? And worse still, have you ever wondered how many children are without fathers by your hand? How glorious and fun is battle, tell me again."

A silence covered the table like a cold blanket as they all stared at Aislinn.

"I have killed before, and am like to kill again. But do not ask me to delight in suffering, or find pleasure in the pain of others."

Still they stared at her, or blankly off into the room with fixed expressions of annoyance or anger. Loki, surprised by the wisdom of her words and stunned by her temerity in speaking to his older brother thus decided he would give her an out. He rose to his feet and said, "Let us not dwell on such unpleasant thoughts. I think it is time some of us joined the dance. My Lady Aislinn?" He said, offering his hand to her.

She froze for a fraction of a second, not expecting this move at all. After her hesitation, Loki's hand seemed to waiver. Terrified, but determined to not allow him to believe she was rejecting him; she took his hand and let him pull her up from her chair.

It was the first time they had touched skin to skin as far as she could remember, and she felt her hand tingle where they met. His hands were so unlike Thor's, not the thick, calloused and clumsy hands of a warrior. No, Loki's hands were delicate and precise, the skin soft and cool. A scholar's hands powerful in a way beyond brute strength.

She lifted her gaze from his hand to his face, and found herself getting lost in his pale green eyes as they walked away from the table and towards the dancers. So much so that the pair of them had made it half way across the room before Aislinn shyly tugged on his hand to stop him and admitted quietly, "I have never learned how to dance…"

"It will be alright." Loki said. "I will lead, and you will learn quickly." The dance was a merry one, wherein each couple spun about together, and then the man would lift the woman into the air, spinning to the side and placing her down again in time to the music. Loki led her into the dance and they began his skill and grace directing her until they had completed the many steps enough times for her to memorize it. While she learned they did not speak, as her concentration was evident.

The minds of both were ablaze in those first few minutes, with surprisingly similar thoughts. Both were afraid of looking foolish, elated to be close to the other and desperately calculating what their next moves should be. Both Aislinn and Loki's attentions were focused on the place where his cool hand met the bare skin of her back. Aislinn felt tingles run up and down her spine.

When Aislinn had settled into the dance, Loki said, "I hope that your night is not ruined. I know my brother is a fool…"

"I do not want to think about it." Aislinn said as she twirled under his arm, "It is over now. I just hope I have not given too much offense."

"Knowing my brother," Loki said, his usual biting tone sneaking into his voice on the word, "He will not remain troubled by it long, provided he understood it well enough to become angry in the first place."

Aislinn laughed, and Loki caught her up in his arms, lifting her feet from the ground and spinning her about. She was surprised how effortless he made it look; being so much slighter in build then the other men she had seen in Asgard.

Loki was watching her face, eyes sparkling bright and happy now. There was a flush to her cheeks from the dance, and he hoped deep within himself that it might have the tiniest something to do with his closeness. It did, but he would not learn that for some time yet.

Back at the table, Sif and Fandral whispered to each other quiet suspicions.

"Loki never dances."

"I did not even know he could."

"What trick is he up to now?"

"Has anyone told her?"

Their conversation was interrupted when Thor offered his arm to Sif, asking if she wanted to dance. Fandral got up from the table to choose a partner also, refusing to be left out of the fun.

Loki watched their table thin out, until only Volstagg remained at one far end, still eating. He took the opportunity to draw Aislinn out of the dance and go sit down, dropping her hand as soon as he could. They sat down, and Loki offered Aislinn a glass of wine. She accepted, and they both began to sip at the dark red liquid.

"Thank you," Aislinn said. "I realize that I should not have spoken to your brother that way, and I know what you were doing; helping me get out from under their stares."

Loki waved her thanks aside, saying, "My brother is a warmonger and a fool. It would do him good if more people were willing to say such things to him."

Aislinn was thirsty from the dancing, and drank the wine quickly. It took only a few moments for a flush to come over her face, and she began to feel hot and dizzy. She put the glass down on the table with a clunk that betrayed her lack of coordination as she covered her eyes with her hand. A strange tight ache was already forming there, and she found herself trying to shield herself from it with her fingers.

"Aislinn? Are you alright?" Loki asked with a concerned voice. He reached out towards her to touch her arm, only to pull his hand away at the last moment, afraid to touch her again, now that there was no good cause.

"I felt strange as soon as I drank this," Aislinn gestured to the glass, "What is it?"

"It is only wine, surely you have had wine before."

"No," Aislinn said, "We did not have anything like that."

"You have never had alcohol before? Not wine or mead or beer?"

"No, we drank mostly spring water."

"You will not find much in the feast halls of Asgard that is not intoxicating." Said Loki. "Let me find you a drink to clear your head."

Aislinn nodded and smiled up at him, although the noise and light of the feast hall obviously still bothered her. Loki rose to walk to the servants entrance of the hall, and request a pitcher of a warm honey drink, usually only served to children. The crowd was dense and riddled with dancers and drunks, and after a few minutes of trying to weave in and out of the crowd, Loki gave up and teleported to a small alcove by the servants entrance on the far side of the hall. The alcove opened up into a small balcony outside the feast hall, where partygoers could get some fresh air. Loki was about to walk away towards the servants entrance when he heard voices outside.

Thor and Odin were standing outside in the air, talking together in confidential tones. Loki could not overcome the need to know what was being said, and faded into invisibility as he stepped closer to hear better.

"Have you been considering what I said to you, my son?"

"I have father, and I think you are right. If I am to earn the throne, I agree that it is time to make some changes in my life."

"I think I should take a wife." Said Thor. Those were the last words Loki ever thought his brother would willingly say.

"And who have you been considering?"

"There are many beautiful women at court, and you know I have always been close to Sif, but- "

"Lady Sif is a brave warrior, but she would do little to rectify the failings of your character. You are too much brother and sister, too much the same. You would do better to pursue Aislinn."

"She is very beautiful." Said Thor, "and I have thought of her often of late."

"Aislinn is the daughter of my dearest friend. It would make me happier than I can say to see her become your wife. She would be a great Queen, and a good balance for you. Do not think her reaction to your 'tale of glory' went unnoticed by me. She is wise beyond her years. Earn her love, build a future with her, and I will know it is time for you to take your rightful place as King."

They began to walk inside, and Loki had to press against the wall to avoid detection, watching Thor promise his father to romance and wed the woman he desired. He felt so angry and so jealous he thought he might be sick. It would have tortured him to know that Thor had bedded Aislinn, but the idea of seeing them wed made Loki feel like a gutted fish.

As Loki listened to Thor and Odin talk, Aislinn was in the midst of an unexpected and unwelcome conversation also. Fandral had come out of the crowd to sit by her. He told her that Loki was dangerous and untrustworthy, and that she should avoid him at all costs. With great embellishments, Fandral told her the story of Loki's betrayal - the day his mischief went to far and became treasonous. He told her about the deaths, about his betrayal of his brother, and about Loki's punishment: he could not leave the walls of the palace. Aislinn was stunned, and thanked him for this information. Fandral tried to encourage her to spend time with Thor and his friends, but Aislinn was dismissive and cold. Her head ached, and she felt somehow heartbroken and empty. Fandral soon left to chase young women who were more in the spirit of the evening.

Loki returned to Aislinn's side a few minutes later, handing her a glass of soothing drink. He then sat sullenly in his chair, and remained distant and cold for the rest of the night. Aislinn dismissed herself from the gathering on the grounds of a growing headache early, and wet to bed feeling somehow both full and empty at the same time.


	12. Strike

**Hey guys! First, I'd like to thank you all for the dozens of follows and favorites, and the lovely comments! I am sorry I've been away for a while , but the good news is that I will be posting a chapter a day for almost a week :) The chapters are finished and only need to be reread and posted, although I am still only just starting the story I have planned in my head.**

The following morning Aislinn rose early and went down to the training grounds only to find Thor absent. She practiced her form and worked up a decent sweat battling wooden dummies for more than an hour before she decided that the eldest prince was probably not coming. Drink had flowed freely at the feast last night, and the palace grounds were quiet this morning. Bored battling stiff wooden figures, Aislinn decided to pack up early and head to the library.

She had been looking forward to a duel this morning. It would have cleared her head and let her think about what she had heard last night.

She found the library before too long, still taking a few wrong turns in the immense golden palace. When she crossed through the large arched doorways into the library she took a long slow breath with her eyes closed. It smelled of old paper and fine leather, like her father. She found the quiet warmth of the library very comforting, its stillness washing over her like a balm.

She walked down the nearest shelf of books, her hand running over the leather bound covers, reading the glossy titles of histories and legends. She continued deeper into the library, exploring it more thoroughly than she had been able to before. It was a massive round room that stretched up at least ten floors. Each floor was marked by an immense gallery with gracefully spiraling staircases between them. She wended her way up several tiers, absentmindedly admiring the books, until she saw a door set into the shelves on the fourth floor, with some magical runes about it. She approached it cautiously, and, reaching out with her right hand, grasped the heavy and old fashioned iron ring that served as a nob. She had half expected something to happen; a wailing sound, a sharp shock, or maybe she would be turned into something slimy.

However, the door creaked open at her touch and she walked through. Inside was a smaller library in the image of the large one. This room was about twenty yards across and also cylindrical. It even had three galleries, although they were little wider than walkways. In the center of the room sat an enormous mahogany table, with matching chairs strewn about it at uneven intervals. There were multiple guards in golden armor standing watch in this room, lest the tomes of magic come to ill use.

The books on the shelves that lined this room radiated with mystical power, and Aislinn knew she had found the volumes on magic. She scanned the titles of the books hungrily, mentally cataloging everything she wished to read and research until she encountered a book of illusion spells. It was a subject that had long fascinated her, and she grabbed the enormous tome off the shelf and carried it to the table behind her. It was not until she set the volume down on the table that it occurred to her that the guards might protest, but they stood stoic as ever.

The first chapter covered the act of disappearing, which Aislinn had long ago mastered. But the subsequent chapters revolved around disguise, creating false doubles and so on. She sat pouring over the pages for hours, reading spells until she memorized them, and absorbing the notes and suggestions carefully.

So absorbed was she in her new discovery that she did not hear the door open again behind her, or note the shadowy figure it admitted. Loki watched her from the shadowy edge of the room as she used a spell of disguise to turn her hair as blue as her tunic, and watched her laugh, pleased with herself. She set it right with a flick of a finger, and then held her arm out in front of her, making it disappear and reappear. Loki was confused for a moment, until he saw something move on the table. Aislinn was holding up an illusory arm and trying to move a piece of parchment at the same time: the ultimate sleight of hand.

Loki cleared his throat and began walking towards the table, causing Aislinn to jump. The illusion broke, and she simply had her hand on the book. She flushed a little, embarrassed that she was caught acting childishly. When she saw it was Loki coming out of the shadows, her face clouded a bit.

"You are not happy to see me." He said. It was not a question. Aislinn fretted a bit, shifting uncomfortably in her chair. Loki sighed and said, "What is it? Tell me."

Silence hung between them for some time while Aislinn tried to plan her words carefully. "Someone… told me something about you." She said at last. Loki did not respond, but waited for her to go on. She blurted out, "Is it true you cannot leave the palace?"

Loki closed his eyes and released a long shuddering sigh before he sat down at the table a few feet away from her. "Yes. That is so." He said simply.

"Then it is all true… that you broke up Thor's coronation by committing treason?"

Loki said only, "Yes."

Aislinn looked downcast, and asked, "Why?"

"I have always played tricks. I suppose it is in my nature. Thor and I were raised in competition with each other. We were two princes, but there was only one throne. I was angry when Thor was chosen, and why shouldn't I have been?" Aislinn said nothing as Loki found himself pouring out his story in a way he never had before. "My _brother."_ He spat. "Golden boy. He is nothing but an angry reckless fool, thirsting for blood. I deserved the throne more, I would have made the better king. Perhaps I hoped Father would see that, when Thor reacted to the frost giants. But I did not imagine the giants or the guards would die. I thought the Jotuns would spend a few nights in an Asgardian prison cell."

Aislinn nodded slowly as he talked and then said, "Thank you for telling me the truth."

"What?" Loki said, half teasing and half aggressively, "No lecture on the evils of violence or disdainful judgment from the great lady?"

Aislinn looked hurt, but said carefully, "You could have tried to lie, but you did not. I care nothing for who you were and what you did before I met you. I only care about who you are now, and that you have saved my life."

Loki was stunned, and fell silent for a moment, reflecting. Over the last few months, or perhaps for his entire life, he had been used to being judged harshly. It was overwhelming, at last having someone give him the benefit of the doubt.

They sat quietly for a time, both lost in thought. Loki then tentatively asked Aislinn about her choice in illusion magic.

"Oh. My father was a great practitioner of magic, but he specialized in elemental spells. My mother had some small ability, and she taught me the little bit of illusion magic she had learned. I always wanted to know more, but neither of them could teach me."

"How much power did you actually acquire?" Loki asked. "I should know where to begin, assuming you still want me to teach you."

"I have never met another magic user, so I am not sure. I think my father was quite powerful, and he always told me I had the capacity to out match him."

Loki rose from his chair and gestured for Aislinn to follow him. They went through a door opposite to the one Aislinn had entered through. The next room was high arched and the walls were of a bare grey stone. "This is where we will actually practice magic," his voice echoed through the totally empty room. "The stone here insulates all but the most powerful of magic, and there is nothing in the room to be destroyed, obviously."

Aislinn stared up at the ceiling of the cavernous space and murmured something inaudible. Eyes still fixed on her face, Loki flicked his wrist and summoned from the empty air a wooden target, such as one might use to practice archery.

"Strike the target." He said simply.

Aislinn waivered for a moment, trying to decide what Loki might be after. She raised a hand before her, churning blue light beginning to pour from her palm. She made a throwing gesture with her hand, and three sparkling arrows of ice whistled from her finger tips and thudded home in the wooden target.

"No," Loki said. "Do not just hit it. Destroy it." Aislinn looked doubtful.

She put her hands together, just above her heart and summoned a globe of shimmering yellow energy and lobbed it at the target. When the energy ball struck it, the target exploded into a shower of broken and twisted wood. Loki noted an imbalance in her stance, and reached forward suddenly, grasping her left hip bone and right elbow to correct her.

As soon as he made contact with her body he froze as if struck, releasing his grasp as he remembered himself. Covering, he used only the tips of his fingers to adjust her posture and then stepped back, summoning a large stone statue in the middle of the room this time.

"I want to see the extent of your power. Strike at it as if it were your worst enemy. Strike at it as if it will kill you if you fail."

Aislinn placed her two hands on her chest, and took a deep breath. She pictured the battle in her childhood home, the monsters that had destroyed everything she had ever known. She thought about the menacing face of the one who had collared her, pictured his hands around her neck again, pressing cold golden bonds into her flesh.

She lit up suddenly like a falling star, intense yellow light suddenly illuminating every corner of the room. She threw her hands up in front of her at the target, and a blast of energy flowed between them like a gout of flame. Loki recoiled, shocked and frightened. As suddenly as it happened it was over.

The statue was gone. Not merely destroyed but vaporized. Aislinn wavered unsteadily, and then began to sink towards the floor, dizzy and weak.


	13. Picnic

Aislinn woke in a large and comfortable chair in the sorcerer's library, feeling groggy and drained. She looked around her in a daze, before her eyes settled on Loki, a few feet away reading a book.

"Good morning." Loki said dryly, not looking up. "That was… an experience. Although, I do not recommend trying that particular spell again anytime soon." Aislinn moaned and sat up straighter in the chair, blinking furiously. She glanced over at the far end of the room, only to see Loki and herself reading across the other end of the table together, occasionally quietly talking. "Oh, that." Loki said before she could ask. "The guards would have insisted on taking you to the healing room, and there would have been a huge production – drama, an inquisition, possibly a beheading or two." Loki said dryly as he turned the page. "I thought you might prefer to just sleep it off."

"Yes, thank you." Aislinn said groggily, trying to make sense of what was happening. "How long?" She said, rubbing her temple with her fingers.

"Only an hour or so." Loki said, closing the book with a thump. At the same time, the image of the two of them shuddered like water and disappeared in a wink of green light. The guards gave a somewhat startled cry, but uneasily stepped back into their posts when they saw Loki and the girl sitting only a few yards away. They eyed Loki suspiciously, and Aislinn wondered briefly if they had been charged to watch him in particular. He waved at them somewhat insolently, and she swore she could see eyes narrowing in the large golden helmets. Loki rose and said "I think it is time that you had something to eat, after releasing all that energy. Shall we?"

Aislinn tried to rise, but her legs felt shaky and leaden under her. Loki offered her an arm to steady herself, and was pleasantly surprised when she threaded her arm through his as they started to walk through the room. Remembering her affection for the garden, Loki walked her outside, and they sat together on the grass before a calm pond.

Again he used his magic to summon objects seemingly out of thin air. A blanket, food and plates appeared, and Aislinn caught up a plate and began to gather food onto it. She popped a grape into her mouth and sighed contentedly, drinking in the sunshine as well as the sweet juices. "Do you make all these things? With your magic?" Asked Aislinn.

"Not all." Loki said. "The targets in the room, yes. But food is difficult to call up out of nothing. 'stone' is a much more simple idea than all the elements of meat, or all the ingredients of a cake." He explained as he filled his own plate. "It could be done. It would be edible, but not pleasant."

"Where did this come from then?"

"The kitchens, where else?" said Loki.

Aislinn laughed and called him a thief as she bit into a piece of bread, so fresh and warm she wondered if he had called it straight out of the oven. She imagined some cook opening the oven door only to find the bread pilfered.

"Nonsense." Said Loki with mock stiffness. "If I had called for a servant they would have brought it anyway. I like to think of saving us the time and the servants the trouble."

They ate in the sunshine until Aislinn was feeling better, and then drank chilled water (in deference to Aislinn's sensitivity to wine) and, although he may not be able to quite enjoy it himself, Loki watched Aislinn bask in the sunlight.

They began to talk about magic, and what had happened. Aislinn could not remember having acquired so much power, and chalked it up to something that must have happened to her while she was not herself. Her power was extreme, but her control and discipline were lacking. Loki soon realized that in addition to knowing very little about illusion magic, Aislinn knew nothing about conjuration or defensive magic at all.

…

The next few weeks were some of the happiest of Aislinn's life. She spent her mornings training with Thor, and improved as a fighter each day. Despite his many faults, Aislinn began to be very fond of Thor and their time together. He held no grudges, was quick to laugh and unceasingly kind and protective. Her growing affection for Thor did not stop her from feeling building excitement every time fighting practice was over, however. Each day she would run back to her room to wash and change, hastily stuff a few mouthfuls of food into her face and be out the door and off to the library. Lessons with Loki were exhausting on every level. He tested her intellect, her physical capability and her inner strength every day, but her improvements, though hard won, were all the more gratifying for it. She learned to cast spells of protection that would deflect blows away that should strike true, as well as a number of shields for protecting against magic or steel. She learned how to project an image of herself,and how to speak and act through it as well.

After magical practice, Aislinn dined at Odin's table each night. Thor's friends and family surrounded her with an acceptance and affection Aislinn sensed that they did not give Loki, and she always made a point to sit by him. Of course, Thor always remained at her other side. She learned to endure his flirtatious ways with more grace, but with no more pleasure than before.


	14. The Kiss

Loki rose early one day, several weeks into training with Aislinn. He struggled to fall asleep at night, and even then his dreams were troubled by his hopes and fears about her. It was as if her midnight blue eyes gazed endlessly into the dark corners of his mind and stirred his thoughts to frenzy. Unable to find any solace in his chambers, he went instead for a walk.

It was an oppressively hot day in summer, the sun beating down on the gardens so fiercely even the trees seemed to wilt. Instead of going outside, he went down to the massive open hall on the ground floor of the palace. It was such a large covered space of stone that it was damp and cool like a cave. Loki remembered playing games with his older brother here among the massive grove of pillars that reached so high they fell out of sight in the darkness of the cavernous hall.

Loki liked to come to this dark place, so often empty of other people, in order to be alone with his thoughts. The constant careful observation of the guards made him chafe wherever they could be found.

When he saw his brother leading Aislinn by the hand into a corner of the vast room, he could not help but follow invisible and silent.

He watched their combat again, and was surprised at the progress of both. They completed the steps of their deadly dance with grace and skill, blindingly fast and with ease. He was also surprised to find that Aislinn no longer was forced to dodge endlessly away from Thor in their combat. She wove a cage of steel around herself with her flashing blades, and scored many needling hits on Thor, even without the aid of magic. Thor had also improved as a fighter over those short weeks: he moved with greater speed, if with less confidence. Even when Aislinn used magic to try to gain the advantage, he now seemed to know what to expect and be able to counter her movements.

Her body was graceful and feline, and he could not wrest his eyes from her shape as she weaved her way through the difficult combat. He watched them battle until they were both exhausted, Thor slumped and panting against a pillar and Aislinn bent half over, breathing heavily and laughing. Thor began to laugh too, a big bellied good natured sound. He dropped Mjolnir on the ground with a deafening boom, and sauntered up to Aislinn.

She stood up and smiled, tossing her braided hair aside and made a joke that Loki could not quite hear. Thor reached up with one hand to touch her face, and Loki's whole world seemed to slow down.

He saw his brother catch Aislinn around the waist with one arm, and cup her face with the other. He saw their lips press together, and he could feel ice in his veins, in his heart. He felt suddenly cold all over, and thought he might be sick. His heart ache was so intense he could feel literal pain in his chest and gasped as though he'd been struck.

He could see it all now, map out their every move. He had seen his brother's dance with the young women of the court times enough to know all the steps by wrote. Aislinn would pull back for a moment; look down as though shy and embarrassed. She'd look up at him through her long dark eyelashes, and he would kiss her again, more passionately this time. He'd see Thor scoop her up to take her off somewhere, to… to… Loki couldn't think about it without rage and jealousy bursting out of him like a hurricane.

And then he saw her do it. She put both hands on Thor's chest and pushed him away gently. He saw her look at her shoes, flushed and surprised. He saw her bit her lip coyly and was thinking of a thousand terrible things to do to them both, when the scene changed in the blink of an eye.

Aislinn hauled her arm back and struck Thor on the nose with a closed fist so hard he stumbled backward and howled, bleeding. Loki stood frozen on the spot with shock, and wished he could hear what they would say.

In the end, they yelled so loud in the cavernous room that he could hear every word.

"What in all the hells was that for?!" Thor shouted like a wounded beast.

"How _DARE _you touch me in that way without my consent!?" Aislinn screamed in return.

"What do you mean?" Shouted Thor in response, "It was just a kiss, I thought you attracted to me!"

"Whatever I have done to make you think that, I am sorry for it." Retorted Aislinn with venom, "I never consciously gave you any such sign, and you know perfectly well you have not directly expressed any sentiment to me either."

"I am the Prince of Asgard, warrior and hero! Why would you spurn me?" Demanded Thor obviously in a rage.

Loki looked on, emotions a jumble of shock, relief, and unrepentant glee, until Aislinn spoke again.

"Because my heart belongs to another." She said, loud and clear. Both Loki and Thor's faces sunk at exactly the same time.

Thor asked the question that Loki longed to: "Who is this person, that you would choose him above the man that would be King?"

"That is none of your concern!" Shouted Aislinn again, gathering up the few things she had brought with her and sheathing her blades. She began to stalk off into the dark when Thor grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him.

"Where are you going?" He demanded, "We are not finished here."

"I am finished." Spat Aislinn, "And take your hand off me before I decide that I will not forgive you for this incident. I am late to meet Loki."

Thor dropped his hand sullenly and watched her jog off into the dark, and when she disappeared through a door in the side of the chamber, he gave a shout of rage loud enough to shatter metal, and punched the corner of the nearby pillar so hard it gave way beneath is hand and a chunk of rock was blown loose and crashed into the ground.

Loki wished to do the same, but instead used his magic to return to the library before Aislinn could arrive. He paced the floor of the library agitatedly, unsure of what to make of the situation. _My heart belongs to another._

Who? Loki fretted over this. Who was her lover? How had Loki not seen it happen? He had been attentive and watchful, and he imagined Thor his only competition. Could it be Fandral, or just some guard out in the hall of the royal residence wing? He stewed in his insecurity as the minutes ticked by, but still Aislinn did not appear. Minutes stretched into hours, and Aislinn still did not come. He twisted and writhed inside.

_She must have run to HIM. _He thought bitterly. _She must be in his arms right now, taking solace. _His mind teased at him.

_I will know. I will know once and for all what she feels for me. _Loki plotted, and readied himself for a trick that would reveal the truth.


	15. The Trick

He stood in the dark and deserted hallway outside of Aislinn's rooms, having dismissed the guards disguised as their commanding officer. He was toying with an illusion, perfecting it for his plan. Love had been in the air in the palace for the past week: the midsummer festival was tomorrow, and every young person in Asgard suddenly seemed desperate for a passionate romance. Loki intended to use that to his every advantage.

He continued to tweak the illusion here and there until he was satisfied, and then became invisible and lurked in a dark corner of the hall. He was there for some time, until he saw Aislinn walking down the hallway. She was moving hesitantly, not wanting to be seen. He supposed she was trying to avoid Thor. When she had successfully passed his room, in order to continue down the hall to her own room, she seemed more relaxed, that is until she spotted something by Loki's great silver door.

His illusion was perfect in its vividness: there, two shadows were wrapped around each other. Loki watched the image of himself somewhat bemusedly as it passionately kissed a perfect replica of Sigrid. His hands ran over her perfect Asgardian body, tugged at her white-blonde hair and even pulled her dress sleeve off her shoulder. He watched her image wrap a leg around her partner's hip, and moan as his duplicate nibbled and bit at her neck.

He watched Aislinn as she came close enough to see, and waited for her reaction. He had spent hours imagining potential reactions to this. If she were jealous or angry, that might give him hope. He lived in fear of indifference, or worse, amusement. The reaction that he saw was wildly different than he had anticipated.

Pain rushed across her features as though she had been stabbed. She choked, and let out a small sob, tears already beginning to run down her face and she turned and took off at a run.

The image disappeared in a blink of green light, and Loki teleported out of the hallway as quickly as he could, trying to guess the path Aislinn would take.

No sooner had he appeared in the hall and started to walk forward to try to spot her, than she came tearing around a corner and slammed directly into his chest, still crying.

He did not need to feign shock and concern, although his surprise was all for her reaction, and not for being collided with.

"Aislinn! What is it?" He asked, gently placing his hands on her shoulders and trying to look into her eyes, filled with tears.

"You… You are not in the hall!" She gasped around her tears, smiling for a split second through them as relief dawned on her.

Loki knew what she meant, but still looked around himself and said, "I am in _a _hall, what are you talking about?"

"I thought I saw…" she said for a moment, looking down at her feet. For a fleeting second, Loki thought he would carry off this ruse and that she would be none the wiser, but then he saw recognition dawn across her face.

"It was an illusion!" She gasped, looking up at him with accusing eyes. "You made me see… why? You wanted to punish me? Laugh at me?" She shoved Loki away.

"Aislinn, I…" Loki began, trying desperately to think of something to say, and hating himself for his stupidity. His jealousy and anger had clouded his judgment, and he was paying for it now.

"Shut up!" She shouted. "I do not want to hear anything you have to say. Stay away from me, god of mischief. They were right about you when they said you were only a trickster. But you have had your laugh, why would you want to be around me anyway?"

"Aislinn please!" he almost whined, "I have to know that I can fix this, forgive me? Please."

She shot him a venomous glance over her shoulder as she walked away towards her room. "I am angry beyond _words_ right now, _little prince." _She spat, using a moniker she knew he hated. "Just leave me alone until I tell you otherwise." And she disappeared beyond the corner whence she had come.

Loki slid down the wall and placed his head in his hands. He had never regretted a single prank, not even the frost giants, as much as he regretted this hasty decision in this moment.

Aislinn almost dashed into her room and slammed the door with an almighty boom. She began to weep openly and without control, until she felt Tofa's arms around her.

"Aislinn, my friend! What ever is the matter?" Tofa exclaimed full of concern.

"Tofa," she sobbed, "You'd… never believe… the day I… have had."


	16. Wine

**Two chapters today, and probably none tomorrow. The last one was short, and I'm going skiing tomorrow. :)**

**...**

Loki watched her over a wine glass on the other side of the feast hall. He had tried several times to attract her attention or approach her, but each time she disappeared into the crowd. In the end, he stopped trying, and stewed in his own guilt, frustration and jealousy.

She laughed with his brother and their friends. She danced with Fandral and Thor, chatted with Sif, and ate and drank as though nothing was wrong. Loki mechanically ate scraps from his plate for forms sake, neither seeing nor tasting what he swallowed; his plate remained full while most guests were serving themselves seconds or thirds.

He knew she was trying to punish him. Acting with more abandon than she normally would. Even wearing a sleek, form fitting gown of crimson… he knew she did not like that color. He knew she chose only to irk him.

He felt so many things at once he thought he might choke on them all, pain, anger, guilt, jealousy and more thudded through his veins and his mind like poison. He watched her stand to join the dance yet again, when suddenly she turned pale.

All his other emotions vanished in a heartbeat to be replaced only with concern. He saw her shake her head slightly, lose her balance and stumble. She looked awful, suddenly sickly. He rose from his seat without thinking, and began to cross the room to her. He was brought up short when he saw Thor with his arms about her, talking to her and stroking her face with the back of his hand. She seemed to be resisting him and trying to squirm away, but she looked weak and confused. He gathered her against his side and disappeared through a door into the hall just behind their table.

Dark assumptions and rage pounded through Loki's brain as he turned and stalked out a different door, planning the best path in his head to intercept them.

He caught up to them quickly, as Aislinn still seemed to be struggling against Thor's grasp. Loki stepped out of the darkness to block their path and Thor stopped midstride.

"Get… OFF… me!" Aislinn was mumbling. "Always touching, why do you do that?" she snapped in a slurred and confused voice shoving at Thor and pushing away from his body.

"Brother… what are you doing?" Loki said in a voice as dark and dangerous as he had ever mustered.

Thor dropped his arm from around Aislinn abruptly, and she stumbled away a few steps. "I was trying to take Aislinn back to her room." Thor said simply.

"I am sure you were." Loki said dryly as he watched her move away from his brother. She slumped against the wall and slid down, sitting in a heap at its base.

Thor flushed and looked angry saying in a raised voice "You cannot think…"

"I never know what to think when it concerns you and women, brother!" Loki spat, walking over to Aislinn and kneeling beside her. "What did you do?"

"I just offered her some wine." Thor said, "I thought it would make her more… friendly. She can be so cold."

_To you, maybe. _Loki thought sourly, leaning in close to Aislinn. "She reeks of spirits!" He snarled. "What did you give her exactly?"

"It was that Nectar wine, you know, made from those golden flowers. She liked how sweet it was."

"_NECTAR WINE?" _Loki exclaimed almost shouting, "She can barely drink a glass of plain wine without getting dizzy. She never drank before she came here. How much did she have?!" He demanded.

"…Four glasses…"

"FOUR?!" Loki shouted in earnest now, "You know two would be enough to put the _ALLFATHER _under the table! You never drink more than one yourself, no matter how irresponsible you are being." Thor tried to say something, but Loki waved him away, turning to Aislinn.

Her skin was pale and clammy, and she struggled to keep her eyes open. She was taking shuddering little breaths, as though it took real effort. He tapped on her cheek gently to get her attention, and was shocked that she felt so cold. She managed to look up at him dazedly, although her eyes were clouded. "Loki, you are here!" she whispered, a smile spreading slowly across her face as she recognized him. "I'm sorry," she slurred, "I feel strange…" she mumbled as she leaned her head back against the wall and her eyes slid closed.

Looking over his shoulder at his brother with venom in his eyes, Loki cast a spell over her to neutralize poisons and to restore her strength. Warmth and color instantly flooded back into her skin, and her breathing became more deep and even. He kept casting spells over her until she fell into a light sleep, and seemed to not be in danger anymore.

"She will be fine, now. She's only drunk and not dying of poisoning." He spat at his brother. "She needs to sleep. I will take her to her room."

"I should do that," said Thor, coming over and reaching down to Aislinn. Loki wanted to hit him, kill him rather than let him touch her again, but, begrudgingly he stepped aside. He did not want to disappoint her again by starting a fight.

Thor scooped her up into his arms as though he was trying to show off, and she woke when he jostled her. She again started to struggle in his arms, murmuring nonsense sentences about wanting to be put down. She struggled so much she was in danger of being dropped, when Loki stepped forward and plucked her out of his larger brother's arms.

He was surprised when Aislinn quieted almost immediately, curling into his body and resting her head in the hollow of his neck. Her hand clutched the front of his tunic, and she was still. "I will take her." Loki said in a tone of finality. "You have done quite enough damage for one night."

Loki stalked off down the hallway for dramatic effect, carrying Aislinn as though she weighed nothing. He might be leaner of build than his overstuffed brother, but he was still strong enough to carry her without effort. When he reached the end of the hallway and turned out of his brother's sight, he knew he really ought to teleport himself directly into her chambers and put her to bed. But he delighted in the feel of her body in his arms, the scent of her hair, the way the skin of her forehead felt against his neck.

He decided to walk with her a little longer so that he could drink in the sensation of her touch that he had so meticulously avoided until now. He carried her for several minutes until he had to dodge into a shadow to avoid being seen by a guard. Loki was not at all interested in explaining himself to anyone. His sudden movement woke her, and she stirred.

When the guard passed and he stepped out into the light, Loki glanced down and saw her smiling up at him softly. Her hand released its hold on his shirt front, and reached up to touch his face. She ran her fingers down his cheek, and then through his hair.

Loki quickened his pace a bit; concerned the wine was making her act strangely. Although her touch sent electric shocks through his body, he was relieved when she dropped her hand again. He did not want her to awaken angry at him for taking advantage of her vulnerability. What she said next caused him to freeze in his tracks altogether.

"Ah, Loki." She sighed as she nestled her head back against his neck. "My lovely Loki. Do you know how much I love you?"

He stood as still as a statue, heart thudding in his ears. He knew he must have imagined it; his mind was playing tricks on him, surely. He was just about to continue walking when she stretched up to kiss his neck, one delicate peck followed by another. A flush came over him, and he shook slightly.

_I have to put her down, now!_ Loki thought hurriedly, calling the magic that brought them to her bedchamber instantly in a swirl of green light. He carried her over to the bed and laid her down gently, then went searching through the dark to find her a blanket. As he leaned over to cover her, she wrapped her arms around his waist.

Losing his balance, he fell into the bed, partially on top of her. His heart thudded even faster as he felt her body press against his. She drew up one of her legs along the length of his, her dress sliding up and pooling at the top of her thigh, leaving her skin exposed.

"Stay with me tonight?" she murmured, running her hands over him. "Please?"

Loki could feel his body answering hers, felt the passion in his blood rise. He wanted to stay; he felt that he might explode into a thousand pieces if he did not.

She cradled his cheek in one hand, and gripped his shoulder with the other, pulling herself up to kiss him. He gazed at into her beautiful eyes, still hazy from drink, and hungered for her lips as though he were starving. They were less than an inch apart when Loki placed his hand gently over her mouth.

"No, Aislinn." He gasped, "Not like this."

He stood up and slid out of the bed, his whole body screaming at him and aching for the sudden lack of her warmth. He threw the blanket over her, and knelt by the side of the bed. He gathered her hands into his, and looked her straight in the eye to make sure she could understand.

"Come to me tomorrow and say these things again and I will never leave your side." He whispered. She nodded, but her eyes were already closing and she was almost asleep. Impulsively, he pressed a kiss into her forehead before leaving in another flash of green light.

...

Loki collapsed into a chair in his own chambers, staring into the fire. His mind was so full it ached with the weight of his thoughts. He replayed every word, every gesture, every sensation of those few moments again and again until they were nothing but a dizzy swirl of impressions. Joy and doubt and lust and fear tumbled about within him, each vying for supremacy.


	17. Vanishing Act

Loki did not see Aislinn the next day, or the next. He asked questions about her discretely, but no one wanted to answer him. Eventually he used an illusion spell to make himself look like Thor, for all that stepping into his brother's skin made him feel a little sick. As soon as he donned his disguise and approached Sigrid, she was all too willing to tell him anything.

"Aislinn has been sick, and does not wish to leave her room." She said, before leaning towards Loki and whispering confidentially, "Or, that's what she says. She might have been feeling poorly that first morning; you saw how drunk she got at the midsummer festival, could you believe it? Anyway I think she feels fine now, but she's too embarrassed to talk to anyone after the scene she made…." Sigrid could have gone on in this way for an hour or more, but Loki excused himself in his brother's voice, and vanished around a corner as quickly as possible in order to return to his own appearance.

Loki felt very conflicted about what he should do. He could not send Aislinn anything or visit her openly without her handmaidens becoming involved, and yet, he felt like any kind of trick in Aislinn's presence would do more harm than good. In the end, he made the decision to teleport into the darkest corner of Aislinn's room and try to get her attention without the maids noticing.

Her bedroom's layout was essentially the same as his own, but a little smaller. He was surprised, then, when he arrived inside Aislinn's bathing room instead of her bed chamber. Thankfully, the room was empty. He cloaked himself in invisibility and walked around the corner of the door, slipping past without disturbing it into the dressing room.

Aislinn sat there on a chair, looking downcast. She was flipping her dagger up in the air end over end, the blue gem winking in the light. She would catch it by the point and throw it again and again. Loki skirted around her and the objects in the room until he reached the door that connected her dressing room to her bedroom. He looked through and saw Tofa making the bed, and so he withdrew quickly and shut the door between the rooms.

Aislinn started when the door closed on its own, and her hand did not flick out to catch the knife. It thudded into the floor point first, and she wrenched it out and held it before her, unsure.

"It's only me." Loki appeared in a swirl of light.

Aislinn stifled a shriek of alarm and then hissed, _"Loki,_ what are you doing here?" as she dropped her dagger on the dressing table.

"Come with me." He said, holding out a hand.

"Wha-why?" Aislinn stuttered.

"I want to talk to you," Loki whispered, "Somewhere we are less likely to be interrupted." Looking doubtful, but taking his hand none the less, Aislinn found herself in the midst of a teleportation spell. They arrived at their destination in the blink of an eye, but it took Aislinn several moments longer to realize where they were. Loki had brought her to a terrace garden on a large balcony of the palace, a place she had yet to visit. It was beautiful, affording an unparalleled view of the sea, and overgrowing with sweet smelling flowers. Loki walked away a few steps, casting a spell over the heavy door handle that caused a web of energy to flow around it, locking it more securely than any bolt could do.

He stood back up as it was finished, and walked back to Aislinn saying, "I thought we should talk, but you have not been coming to the library."

Aislinn looked sadder still and would not look at him, turning away and mumbled, "I am not sure what else there is to say."

Confused, Loki asked "What do you mean?"

"I acted like an idiot, and I threw myself at you like a childish fool. You were right to reject me." Aislinn put her hand to her face, and continued "Just leave me alone. There's no point in making this worse for either of us." She started to push past him to reach the door, but Loki stepped in her way.

"Did you not mean the things you said to me?"

Aislinn, now obviously crying softly replied, "It is not like it matters now. Please just let me go."

"But it does matter. It matters to me." Loki tentatively reached out and put his hand on her shoulder, trying to look into her face as she tried to avoid him.

"Fine, yes. I meant it. Have your laugh." She spat and tried to brush his hand away, but he caught her chin instead. He pulled gently up, so that she could not look away.

"You cannot remember everything from that evening clearly, can you?" Loki said, almost at a whisper.

"I remember enough. I tried to kiss you and you stopped me and left." said Aislinn, her eyes flitting back and forth over his face, trying to read something in Loki's expression. When she saw him smile and start to chuckle she felt anger rising in her blood and was tensing to strike out at him when he said;

"You are not remembering what came next." Aislinn's expression went blank as she tried to puzzle out what Loki meant by that. He, who had rejected her advances and had been the source of her misery ever since… he was standing so close, and his hand, no longer holding her chin, was cupping her face tenderly. "I told you something then. You really do not remember?" Aislinn shook her head no slightly.

Loki took a deep breath, and hoped his silver tongue still had skill enough for this. "I told you that I was afraid the wine was making you say things, offer things that you were not ready to-"

"You thought I was insincere?" Aislinn's eyebrows knotted together and she looked angry.

"No, drink never makes a person say untruths. It merely can make them say things they are not ready to speak yet." Aislinn started to step away before Loki hurriedly said, "But that is not the point. I told you that night as you were falling asleep to come and find me the next day. I asked you to tell me how you felt again, and if you did…"

Aislinn froze, overcome with Loki's words. "W-what are you saying?" said Aislinn, unsure.

"I am saying 'I love you too.'" Aislinn's beautiful face lit up, despite the tear still trickling down her cheek. Loki wiped it away with his thumb, and took a half step closer. He leaned down, resting his forehead against hers. He was about to kiss her, when he teasingly backed off and said, "Do I have my lady's permission-?"

"Just kiss me!" Aislinn gasped, trembling slightly under his touch. He leaned down to comply, smiling as he did so.

Their first kiss was light, lips barely brushing, like breath on skin. Loki stepped closer once again, wrapping an arm around Aislinn's waist to hold her against his body, and their lips met again. She was surprised how soft Loki's lips were and how tender his kiss felt; nothing at all like his brother's forced gesture. Aislinn slid her hands up his chest, and cast her arms around his neck as they kissed. Loki moved his hand to the back of her head, burying his fingers in her silky hair as he held her close. Loki began to run his hand up and down the gentle curve of her spine, from between her shoulder blades to the small of her back. It filled her with a tingling, shuddering feeling, and she moaned softly as she pressed harder into his embrace. The sound, small that it was, threated to drive Loki insane. He kissed her with more passion, his tongue flicking out to run along her bottom lip. Her lips were just beginning to part under his when a banging came at the door.

They sprang apart at the sound, startled, although Loki kept his arm around her waist, not letting her step away. Playfully, he pushed her in front of him until she stumbled backwards into the wall, and he whispered the words of an invisibility spell into her neck, his tickling breath causing her to shiver, pinned as she was.

As they vanished from sight, Loki released the spell holding the door. It crashed open, causing a guard to stumble through suddenly. He looked around the terrace for a moment, and then called her name. This made Aislinn stand up and push Loki off her gently. Loki made a frustrated sound, but she slid past him anyway.

Dismissing the illusion from around herself, she called out to the guard: "I am here, what is it?"

"Lady Aislinn! There you are."

"Can I be of any help?"

"Your handmaidens were concerned, because you disappeared from your room and did not go out the main door."

"I only came here. It is alright." Aislinn said.

"Your face is very flushed… we were told you were ill. May I assist you back to your room?" Aislinn blanched at that, putting her hand up to her cheek and finding it red hot with her excitement.

"We?'" Aislinn asked, dreading the answer.

"Yes, all the guards were asked to look for you."

Aislinn groaned and said, "Very well. Give me a moment and I will come with you." The guard looked unsure, but stepped back into the hall, closing the door behind him.

Loki appeared beside Aislinn, looking sheepish and nervous.

"I think I should go." Said Aislinn, Loki looked down at the floor awkwardly, unsure if she might be upset with him. Aislinn stretched up on the tips of her toes and kissed Loki softly, before starting towards the door.

"May I see you, tonight?" Loki called after her.

"Come after Tofa and Sigrid have left?" Said Aislinn. "The last thing I need is another round of guards searching for me in the same day."

She disappeared through the door, leaving Loki alone. He touched his fingertips to his lips, and let out a shuddering, calming breath. Part of him could not believe it had happened. He remained in the garden for over an hour, lost in hazy, happy thoughts.

...

**Okay, I need a wee bit of advice/opinions. I'm considering writing some smut in upcoming chapters, but I've never done it before and I'm worried it may take something away from this particular story. Please let me know your thoughts on this! Reviews make me very happy, so don't hold back!**


	18. Starlight

It seemed to Aislinn that Tofa would never leave. Sigrid had gone soon after supper, but Tofa fussed over every detail in Aislinn's room with more than usual care. She seemed perturbed that Aislinn had disappeared earlier in the day while supposedly sick, and kept flitting about offering to fetch her things. Aislinn found herself painstakingly, immaculately clean. Her hair braided perfectly and neatly before bed, sheets changed and smoothed and tweaked, blankets and furs piled high enough to keep her warm on a mountain peak in winter, and a full pitcher of water by her bedside and Tofa still insisted Aislinn might need something else.

"Thank you, and I love you my dearest friend, but what I need now is rest! I promise I will be exactly here in the morning. You've put so many blankets on me I doubt I could move anyway."

At long last, Tofa left – though still threatening Aislinn with a large, fortifying breakfast and a visit to the healers on her way out.

Aislinn no sooner heard the outer door to her chambers close before she was out of bed like a shot, dumping the extra blankets out of the way in a corner of her dressing room. She fretted and paced for some time, and began to doubt if Loki would come at all. In the end, she went out onto her balcony to breathe the night air and try to calm herself.

She sighed, and shivered slightly in the thin silk gown she wore even in the warm summer air. She watched the stars reflected in the ocean below her for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually she wished to sit down, and turning around at last, she saw Loki leaning against the wall gazing at her.

"How long have you been there?" Aislinn gasped as she saw him.

Loki smirked and said, "Awhile."

"Why did you not say anything?" Aislinn said, crossing her arms in front of her. Her nightgown seemed suddenly thinner and more translucent than she remembered.

"Who am I to disturb such a beautiful scene?" the prince retorted, half in earnest and half in jest. Aislinn stared at him in the moon light, shocked that he seemed even more handsome in this setting. The pale silver light made his skin look like white marble, and his hair was mussed by the sea winds; its color turned as black as the abyss by the night. The contrast made him appear more of a work of art than a man or a god.

Aislinn flushed prettily and glanced away, still shivering slightly. Loki closed the distance between them quickly, and threw his arms around Aislinn, pressing her head to his chest. She had never seen him looking so relaxed. Even his dress attire had elements of armor in it, but tonight he wore a simple linen shirt and loose black leggings. Aislinn loved that she could feel the warmth of his body through the fabric. For a time they simply held each other, drinking in the sensations of their closeness.

Aislinn slowly slid her hand up Loki's chest until it reached the back of his neck. She pulled away from his embrace slightly, to look at his face. He was happier than she could ever remember seeing him, as though a weight had been thrown off his shoulders, if only for a moment. When he smiled at her, it reached his eyes and lit them with joy and desire. He looked decades younger and even more handsome. She ran her other hand through his raven hair, so rare among the Asgardians, and traced the delicate high arch of his cheekbone with her fingertip. Stretching up, she kissed him gently and felt him respond.

At first, their kisses were tender and halting – nervous as they both were. However, the lustful passion both had struggled to conceal soon came bubbling to the surface. They began to kiss passionately, with almost bruising force. Hands tangled in hair, hearts pounded in their chests. His tongue slid into her mouth, exploring and demanding, and she grazed his bottom lip with her teeth, drawing a sound out of him half way between a groan and a growl. Aislinn instinctively found herself wrapping one ankle around the back of Loki's leg to pull closer to him.

Feeling her balance shift, Loki hitched her leg up, hooking it over his hip. She was surprised by his sudden movement, but was so engrossed in their passionate kiss she did not react. She did not stop kissing him even when he picked her up and lifted her other leg to wrap around his waist also. He carried her forward a few steps, sitting her down on the wide marble balcony rail.

She was vaguely aware she ought to be terrified sitting as she was, hundreds of feet off the ground. Nevertheless, she had never felt safer anywhere in her life than she did in his arms.

As the kissed, one of Loki's hands remained at her back to keep her safe and steady, but the other began to explore her body. At first, he only ran the backs of his fingers over her bare arm: taking in the velvety softness of her perfectly smooth skin. It did not take long for him to wish to explore other things, first tracing the lines of her collar bone and neck with his long, thin fingers. He left trails of tingling sensations on Aislinn's skin, making her shiver under his touch. The smoothness of her skin was addictive, intoxicating. He wanted to press himself against it and feel every perfect inch of it. He gave in to his urge, sliding his hand down and cupping her breast, feeling her through the thin layer of her silken shift.

This caused Aislinn to jump and pull away, trembling with a dizzying combination of excitement, nerves and indescribable terror.

"L-Loki wait," Aislinn said as she continued to tremble. Her thoughts all jumbled in her head and tried to come out of her mouth at the same time: "I've never done- never been with a man before. I don't know what –" she sighed. "I had not even been kissed until –"

Loki could have smacked himself. Of course she had never known the touch of a man. She had lived alone with her parents as long as she could remember. A dark thought crossed his mind, she could see it cloud his eyes, and for a split second she was terrified of the man who held her, concerned her protestations had enraged him. When he spoke he asked in a dark voice, "You mean _Thor _was your first kiss?"

Her brow knitted for a moment, wondering how he knew about that incident, but briefly thought she should not wonder about Loki knowing anything and everything.

"Bad enough that he did it at all. But to steal your first kiss like that? I'll kill him." Loki whispered darkly.

"No, Loki." Aislinn said, reaching up to touch his face. "That was not a kiss. He… bumped his face into mine." Loki looked incredulous and was about to angrily ask if she meant it had been an accident. "It only counts as a kiss if it is wanted, and reciprocated." She whispered, looking up at him with loving eyes. She stretched up and kissed him tenderly, on the lips, then the cheek and by his ear, murmuring, "You kissed me first, and you will be the only one."

The anger and competitiveness evaporated from Loki's mind and eyes, burned away like fog by the sun. He was left with only tender feelings for Aislinn, and hugged her close to him. "Do you promise?" He whispered.

"If you do."

"I promise."

Aislinn smiled and kissed him gently in reply.

He took a deep breath to steady himself, and scooped Aislinn into his arms off the railing. He carried her inside, still trembling. She trembled as he walked through the living quarters, into her bed chamber, and as he lay her down on the soft firs, he swore he could hear her teeth chatter.

She looked like she was about to protest again as he climbed into bed beside her, but he hushed her by gathering her to his side, kissing the top of her head, and stroking her back. The tension began to go out of her body as she listened to his heartbeat, her head laying on his chest. For a time they did nothing, said nothing. He just held her until her nervousness began to pass.

Almost at a whisper, and half not wanting to know the answer Aislinn asked, "You have been with women before? Of course you have… you are a prince."

"Yes." Loki said simply, unable to bring himself to lie to her.

"Was she... or...were they... special to you?" She murmured, compulsively tracing a seam on his shirt with a finger, trying to focus on something else.

"No." Loki would have been happy to leave it at that, but she looked up at him with her large dark blue eyes, waiting for him to go on. He sighed and said: "When we had just come of age, and perhaps even still, Thor and Fandral often made a game of bedding beautiful women. Being charming, handsome and in powerful positions made it easy sport. They would tease me for not joining in, and in my weakness I began to follow suit." Loki shifted uncomfortably, unaccustomed to honesty. "Aside from the immediate pleasure, it gave me no satisfaction. Thor could seem to fall in and out of love every few weeks, but I never felt for anyone… until now." Loki kissed her forehead and held her closer. He half expected Aislinn to shy away or reprove him for his tale, but she only shifted closer to him.

They began to kiss and Loki found his hands again wandering over Aislinn's body. His need to touch her was overwhelming and he began to lose focus and control as soon as they started kissing. She began to shake again under his touch, and he murmured "I should go" into her lips as they kissed.

"No, please stay?" Aislinn said in a small voice.

With a chuckle he slid his hand down her side, grasping her hip bone and breaking their kiss. He rolled her over on her other side, and then settled in behind her, curving his body to fit neatly against hers. He placed his arm awkwardly over her, trying not to touch anything that would make her uncomfortable, and was gratified when she took his hand and drew it up, resting her cheek on their interlaced fingers. "I have not sought the… _attentions _of a woman in many, many years." Whispered Loki, "I can wait for you as long as you wish me to, my love." He kissed her bare shoulder chastely, and lay his head down to sleep.


	19. Going Under

Aislinn and Loki slept blissfully together all night… for too long. Aislinn's eyes opened with a snap as she heard Tofa and Sigrid talking in her sitting room. Tofa was laying the breakfast table, with a noisy clinking of dishes and asking Sigrid what they should do if Aislinn was unwell again today. She heard Sigrid scoff and Tofa chastise her.

Loki gathered her against him tightly, wrapping her up in his arms and making sleep heavy, contented sounds. He kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, and one very light kiss on the lips, before smiling and holding his finger up to his lips suggestively. Aislinn's bedroom doorknob began to turn with a rattle, and just as Aislinn was about to cry out for Tofa not to come in, she found her arms and her bed suddenly devoid of Loki. The blanket, sagging abruptly with in his absence, no longer covered them both. She would not be caught in the arms of a prince in the morning after all.

Aislinn flopped back onto the bed, rolling into the place were Loki had left his warmth and his scent, trying to make a show of being asleep. Tofa peeked around the door and whispered, "My Lady? Aislinn… it is time to wake up my friend."

Aislinn gave a little shake she imagined looked like someone starting out of sleep and yawned, " 'morninahhh… Tofa." Rubbing her eyes and wondering if she was laying it on too thick she sat up, still reclined on her pillows.

"How are we feeling this morning?" Tofa said with evident concern in her voice, reaching to touch Aislinn's forehead.

Obliging, she let Tofa touch her face, searching for signs of a flush or paleness, heat or cool. "You know what?" Aislinn said as her friend-playing-nursemaid scrutinized her. "I feel really, really… GREAT! What are we having for breakfast?"

"Well, I suppose that is a good sign…" murmured Tofa, still eyeing her charge.

Flinging her blankets back, Aislinn tumbled out of bed in the best humor Tofa had ever seen her in. She practically skipped to the table and began piling high a plate of fruit, pastries, eggs and breakfast meat before flopping down on the couch to begin working through it. Her good mood restored, she realized she had barely eaten since… when? Her anguish and uncertainty about Loki's feeling and Thor's friendship had left her with no appetite. Thinking back, she had consumed little since the breakfast before she last sparred with Thor four days ago, excepting wine. The thought made her shudder, but she still managed to shove half a fruit and cream filled tart of some sort in her mouth and swallow it almost without chewing. Volstagg would have been proud.

Tofa watched her eat with gusto, visibly comforted by her lady's now voracious appetite. Sigrid looked affronted and mildly nauseated. She ate so little and in such a dainty fashion Aislinn wondered idly if she lived on snobbery, gossip and the salt-tanged Asgardian air. Finding she almost relished Sigrid's distain, she picked up a patty of some spiced meat in her fingers and bit into it, watching her flinch and trying not to laugh. "Tofa," Aislinn asked through her mouthful, "Can someone send word to the Princes that I would like to start training again today?"

"No!" Tofa said, "Absolutely not. You are not fighting today; the Allfather would have my hide for letting you exert yourself so much after being ill."

Aislinn looked deflated, but said, "Surely I can go read in the library with Loki? I have already missed much he wished to teach me this week."

"Spell-weaving is said to be every bit as exhausting as combat, and harder on the mind. You told me that yourself."

"But if I rest until my usual meeting time…" Aislinn found herself pleading with a woman no older than herself as though she were her mother. Tofa might be a maiden still, but a mothering aura radiated from her like light from a torch. It was nice to pretend, though. It made her friend happy, and it let Aislinn imagine her childhood had not been stolen from her. "I only want to read, Tofa."

Tofa narrowed her eyes at Aislinn and said, "We will see how you are then."

Aislinn finished her breakfast, relishing every bite and replaying yesterday's events on a loop in her brain, unable to keep from smiling for no reason like a besotted school girl. Tofa asked her repeated questions about her sudden glorious good humor, but Aislinn just laughed her queries off and put it down to her renewed good health.

She walked into her bathing room, stretching and bending luxuriously to limber up her muscles as she went to wash up. She changed into some sensible clothing, and wandered back into her sitting room, hoping to find a way to slip her overprotective friend without giving insult. When she saw Tofa, she looked slightly shaken.

Aislinn rushed over to hear and asked what was wrong. "Prince Loki came by. When I told him you could not be disturbed he looked so angry, and he used his strange magic to create this!" Tofa handed Aislinn what appeared to be a small but very official looking scroll, sealed in green wax with an imprint of a coiled serpent in it. _He's messing with her, _Aislinn thought. "He told me not to open it, or the snake would come alive, and then he just… vanished!"

"It will be alright, Tofa. I promise. I am sure he was only trying to play a trick, and I will talk to him." Aislinn broke the seal on the scroll, causing Tofa to jump. Inside were a few lines of elegant handwriting.

The first line read, "_Good morning, beloved_." Struggling to hide a grin from her handmaidens, Aislinn turned around. The words were already fading, and in a blink of an eye, they were gone. Below the newly empty top of the page, there came the following note:

_A-_

_Come to the Library today. I have an idea. _

_-L_

Aislinn may have been left with a note without a sign of it, but she felt Loki's affection in this action. She was unsure if he wanted her to come to the library for actual research or for more romantic reasons and she did not care. She just wanted to be in his company, even if only to read.

"It is a royal summons to the library." Aislinn announced soberly. Tofa looked vaguely horrified, but Aislinn laughed and said, "it is only a note. Look, it is not even ten words. Hardly anything to be afraid of." She handed it off to Tofa, now that it did not hold anything incriminating. She looked as though she were expecting it to turn into a hideous snake at any moment, when it suddenly vanished in a puff of green dust and caused Tofa to squeal. Aislinn rolled her eyes as she went to flop down on the couch: she really would have to say something to Loki about it.

…

Aislinn sped down the hall with a cheerful bound in her step. She had managed to escape Tofa; she supposed that her handmaiden wanted to avoid displeasing the trickster prince as much as possible, or she would not have been able to leave her room without a fight.

She hastened, anticipating seeing Loki. She alternated between jogging and speed walking with a skip in her step. She drew the stares of many people as she wended her way down to the lower floors to reach the library; guards and courtiers alike watched her go. Some found it improper, but most marveled at the beauty of the young ward of the King with her face lit up with an unknown joy.

She reached the magician's library quickly, finally used to the palace's twisting paths. It was all she could do to prevent herself from bounding into the room, hoping to find Loki waiting for her there. She was not disappointed: he sat there in a large leather backed chair with a stack of books beside him. He did not look at her, but she saw a grin spread over his face as he pointed to the chair opposite him without taking his eyes off the page.

Unsure what he was planning, she sat down where he gestured. Loki handed her a book without saying anything, and then deliberately placed a small golden coin on the ornately carved end table by his chair. Aislinn watched, bemusedly as the coin seemed to reflect an unknown green light. She heard a female voice ask an offhand question about magic, and heard and watched Loki answer, although there seemed to be no one else here. She needed to stifle a shriek as Loki stood up out of the chair, leaving an exact replica of himself there. He put his finger to his lips and held out his hand for her. Aislinn stood and turned around, only to see herself there, reading and asking Loki a question about how to pronounce a certain word in the language of magic.

He led her away from the illusion quickly, and out into the practical training room. The yawning grey cavern was once again empty, but Loki still led her into the corner of the room farthest from the door before saying, "I am sorry about that. I did not want the guards to know we were gone."

"What kind of spell was that? It seemed different than your other illusions."

"I needed it to last for a very long time, even when I cannot concentrate to maintain it. I enchanted the coin to support the image. It should last more than the day, longer than we need."

Aislinn was fascinated by the magic, but could not help flushing a little bit as she tried to imagine just what would be occupying so much of Loki's focus.

"Aislinn, dearest." He said, drawing her towards him and holding both her hands in his, "After searching for many weeks, I believe I have discovered a way to uncover your missing memories."

Of all the things Aislinn imagined Loki might say, that was not one of them. "But you tried, and you said that I formed no memories while the manacles were on!"

"I know, and that is true. But I believe there may be a way to reconstruct your body's experiences over that time. You still saw and felt and heard. But made no memory with your mind because of the bond on you."

"How is that possible?" Aislinn gasped.

"It very nearly is not. The spell is adapted from one used to learn the last experiences of a dead body. It has taken me weeks to perfect its use on a living form. I will have to construct the experiences of your body backwards, from the moment the spell is begun. I can ask your mind if you can remember how events progressed five years ago, but the body cannot rationalize like that."

"How long will it take?"

"Many hours, perhaps all day. In theory, I should be able to make our minds perceive your body's impressions faster or slower depending on whether or not they seem important, but the magic will become increasingly difficult for me to manipulate the farther back we go." "I must know if you are absolutely certain that you want to do this. It will likely be uncomfortable and painful for you to witness."

"No, I have to know. For the safety of the realm as well as myself. We must know if there is a continuing threat."

"You are certain?"

"Yes. I would rather endure all the bad memories in the world than allow my fate to befall another."

Loki nodded, understanding but obviously still burdened by something. "Aislinn… there is one more problem. To perform this spell, I will have to remove your mind from your body and house it within mine. Your mind will fight the spell so long as it remains within you – as I said, the spell was made for use on the dead. This is dangerous, and has only been attempted a few times in the history of magic. You will have to have complete trust in me."

"I trust you, always. With my life."

Loki nodded again, and pressed his lips to her forehead. He then turned; dropping her hands, and began to change the room with magic. He walled off the end of the chamber, so that they were in a room with no doors or windows. He created a large square bed that stood in the center, low to the ground – and began using magic to inscribe a circle of glowing runes all around it.

Aislinn knew that his magic called for deep concentration, and that he could not afford to make any mistakes now. She got out of his way and sat motionless in the center of the bed, knees to her chest as she watched him work. It took him about ten minutes to complete the circle, but watching him at his craft did not lose any fascination for her. His power was palpable: she could feel its intensity humming in the air from where she sat. It was heady and intoxicating, almost as profound as the experience of using her own inner power.

When the circle was complete, and he had checked it several times for mistakes (there were none) Loki crawled into the center of the bed with Aislinn and knelt in front of her. "We have to lay down, and in such a way that our bodies are not in any danger. Unlike sleep, this spell will not let us move to relieve a cramp or cut off circulation."

Aislinn complied and lay down on her back, carefully arranging her limbs. Loki followed suit by her side, although he linked arms with Aislinn and held her hand, lacing their fingers together. Impulsively, and not a little nervously, Aislinn lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of Loki's hand.

"We can still stop." Said Loki. "Tell me if you are afraid and that will be the end."

"I am afraid, but I am ready. I trust you."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Aislinn?"

"Hmm?"

"Do not let go of my hand, even when we are within the vision. You ready?"

"Mmmhmmm." Aislinn bit her lip.

Loki began to intone a complex chant in a foreign language. At first, Aislinn's heart pounded in her chest but as she listened to him speak it slowed. She breathed deeper and heavier, relaxing to the silky sound of his voice as it filled the air. It was so comforting and inviting, she could listen forever…

Aislinn's eyes drifted closed under heavy lids, and she knew no more.


	20. The Vision

**Hey gang. Sorry I took so long to update. This chapter was harrowing for me to write and is more than twice the length of my usual chapters so I hope you will forgive me. As always, please review and tell me what you think. **

Loki's magic teased Aislinn's consciousness from her body. It was a difficult spell: like trying to reach in to a living oyster and pluck out a pearl without harming it. He tugged gently at the corners of her mind, suppressing his fear for her as a surgeon would have to for a patient. All at once, it gave way.

He was not at all ready for the intimacy of sharing his body with the soul of another. Aislinn's life energy felt glorious: she was pure and full of hope and joy, things he had felt fading in himself since he was a child.

As much as he wanted to explore her mind and learn as much as he could about her, he did his best to refrain. The point of all this was to learn about her missing time, not to satisfy his curiosity. He began to cast the complicated spell to create a vision of her body's past, completing it from memory without error.

He found himself standing just at the edge of the circle, looking down on their two bodies on the bed, unconscious. It was not until he tried to walk around the bed to try and see the figures at a better angle that he felt a small tug at his hand. He turned to see Aislinn there, looking slightly ashen faced. He remembered himself and turned to her, holding her close and asking if she were alright. "This feels strange." Aislinn replied. "As though I might float away."

"Hold on to me, and you will be safe." Loki tried to comfort her with gentle touches, but she did not seem to respond. "Let's just start going back. The faster we can get this over with the sooner we can get back to our bodies." Aislinn nodded, and Loki began to channel his magic once again.

They watched themselves going through sped up motions, seeming dizzy and jerking in their speed as Loki began the spell to reconstruct what had happened to Aislinn's body in the past. They woke on the bed and sprang apart. Loki expunged the magic circle on the floor while Aislinn watched, the wall and bed disappeared and they walked out of the room backwards. Loki was fascinated to find that they did not have to try to keep up with their figures in the vision; they simply floated behind Aislinn as she left the library and went running backwards to her room. It made a certain kind of sense, however. Without any rational mind, the body could not conceive of a world outside of its senses. A room with a closed door might as well not exist.

Aislinn watched her memories of her happy time in Asgard spin backwards, surprised at their speed and marveling at how short it all seemed. She smiled as she watched herself and Loki kiss or show signs of falling in love, although Loki squeezed her hand possessively whenever a memory with Thor came up.

Eventually her time in Asgard spun its way out. It was the first day after she had been healed when Loki halted the passage of time within the spell and turned to her. "You have no idea how gravely you were injured." He said. "You know I saved your life, but you do not know how close you came to losing it. Are you sure you are ready to see this?"

Aislinn considered this for a long time, biting her lip and looking up at Loki for some sort of guidance. When none was forthcoming she said, "I just have to know, Loki: even if it hurts."

With a sigh, Loki began the spell again. They watched as the miracle of healing undid itself, leaving behind a small, bloodied, battered frame, unrecognizable as the beautiful woman by his side. Aislinn choked, lost somewhere in disgust and grief as the golden bonds reassembled themselves across her wrists and neck. Loki steeled himself, and knew that he had to be merciless in his progress. She had decided she needed to know, and there was no turning back now.

They watched Heimdall scoop the body up from the table and carry her out, back towards the Bifrost. He had run at a terrific pace to get her to the healing rooms as quickly as possible. Loki was startled by the power in the frame of the gatekeeper, a quiet and watchful figure who seemed to have stood at attention his entire life. They watched as he lay her down before the great gate, and watched as she was sucked back into the beam. They found themselves barreling after the broken, bloody body along the bridge of light to another world.

When they arrived, the crumpled figure lay on the top of a stony hill. They looked around from its top, they could see no life. The small planetoid seemed entirely covered with dusty grey rock with no sign of plant or animal life at all. A trail of gore could be seen running up the hill, like an errant red flick of a painter's brush. It led towards a smoking crater, glimmers of magic still sparking through the great cloud of dust.

They watched as the broken body climbed down, cleaning the blood off the rocks as it went. Some of the smaller wounds and damage to the skin vanished as it scraped itself over the stones, winding its slow way down the hill. Loki felt nauseous, felt ice spreading in his veins and rage boiling in his mind as he saw what Aislinn had gone through in her fight for survival. The figure of Aislinn at his side clung to him, sheet white and obviously horrified. He could not imagine what she felt, and he knew it would only get worse from here. He could not know how much worse.

The broken body eventually came to rest at the bottom of the crater, and lay there still for some time. What must have been many hours of unconsciousness to the body was several minutes to Loki and Aislinn as they stood watchful, waiting for something to happen.

Dust began to swirl around the body in a lazy circular pattern, slowly speeding up. It expanded larger and larger, and picked up speed until the dust storm became a spinning vortex, a howling gale. The figure slowly slumped forward and began to rise off the ground, as though being picked up by the wind. It was an extremely strange sensation, to stand in the midst of a hurricane force wind, without even a breeze ruffling their hair.

The body was lifted quickly off the ground, rising into a standing posture with arms spread wide. It now appeared to be conscious, and hovered fifteen feet or more off the ground. The swirling wind began to hum and crackle with energy, which now was obviously emanating from the body. The figure seemed darkened by the magic and its features were difficult to make out, for all that light seemed to ripple around it. Pulses of energy began to race towards the body, absorbing into it in reverse instead of blasting out as they must have done in the past. Around the specters of Loki and Aislinn, the crater began to fill again. A massive building constructed itself around them: a tremendous arena seemed to simply appear out of the ground.

An unearthly screaming sound could suddenly be heard coming from every direction. It sounded strange enough in reverse already, but the cries were not of any humanoid race. Looking up into the stands, they could see thousands of dead and dying creatures, scrambling in obvious terror. _The very same strange looking race that had captured her in her childhood home,_ Loki thought. Another wave of energy coursed back into the body and they were all alive, looking nervous and disquieted.

Beside him Aislinn screamed and collapsed, making a choking sound. Loki maintained his grip on her hand and bent down to speak to her. "I killed them." Her voice was empty and emotionless, in complete shock. "Look at them all." She said, gazing up at the now animated and active crowd. "They are dead because of me."

Loki could not think of anything to say to comfort her. Suddenly the weight of three Jotuns and two Asgardian guards seemed nothing.

They watched the pieces of the arena reset. When the building was intact; the body sank to the ground and lay in a puddle of blood that materialized at its feat, where it seemed to lay down in it. An enormous black feline monster stood over the body breathing heavily, red Asgardian blood dripping up to its teeth and claws, and strange purple blood oozing from a number of gory wounds on its body. The crowd was cheering wildly. Loki looked around the arena and saw that there was a special observation platform as might have been used for royalty. A figure stood there in sharp relief, and Loki recognized him almost immediately as the man that had set the bonds on Aislinn's body in his first excursion into her memories. Of all the observers, he was not elated or jubilant. He was enraged, and something like terror seemed to be inspiring his actions as he screamed and howled and threw his arms up.

Time continued in reverse: the monster struck an almighty blow down on the body that healed it of a few of its injuries and it stood again and fought. The battle was bloody and vicious. The figure did not fight like Aislinn. It was not a graceful, dexterous dance. It was single minded bloodthirstiness, neither fearing injury nor reacting to it with pain. It was monstrous. Eventually all the injuries on the beast were gone, and they sprang apart. The creature regressed into some sort of low cave, and the mangled person did as well.

As they watched, time wound backwards in a horrific dance. They saw the broken body come out and slaughter many things each day as the crowd cheered. Every time she saw one suffer and die only to come alive and explain its injuries in the sordid backwards dance of combat Aislinn turned a little paler and trembled a little harder. As the battles revealed themselves one by one, the figure started to look a little more like Aislinn. A strange clawed beast raked her across the face with bone crushing force, and the shape of her face became reconcilable. Acidic blood rushed off of Aislinn's head and chest into the body of a reptilian monstrosity, and suddenly the skin was not grey. Wounds healed up, bones reset. A fire belching insect the size of a house sucked flame back into a glowing coal-like gland, and Aislinn's beautiful face and hair were restored.

It made it worse for them both, to recognize her for herself. Her beauty in this terrible new light became horrifying, because her eyes were dead and empty. Her face showed no emotion or personality. She was a blank. She was a killing machine. She had been made death.

A routine became evident: each day she woke in a dank little cave to battle and gore and death. Loki saw that she was not restrained; there were no bars or chains. All the fetters needed to control her were on her person in the form of golden jewelry.

He was unsure whether to continue. This was painful and more terrible than he had expected, and the magic necessary to continue this observation was becoming more and more exhausting to maintain. However, as gruesome as this experience had been, Loki was determined not to give up before finding out something of value. Aislinn may have destroyed this building and the crowd within it, but how it had happened and why she had been taken at all was still a mystery.

Moments later, the scene began to change. The empty faced woman before them was now devoid of any injury, and was joined, for the first time since they had been watching in her pitiful domicile, by another figure. It was the robed creature that had enslaved her, and he seemed to be guiding her almost reverently. Because the events still unfolded in reverse, he accompanied the blank faced Aislinn out of the room and back down a tunnel Loki had not noticed before. The pair hovered behind them like specters, watching their every move.

In time, Aislinn's body and her captor walked onto a strange looking vessel, which lifted off the ground and up into the air. Looking out over the rapidly vanishing terrain, Aislinn could see that the planetoid was lush with plant life. There had been none after the blast that freed her. The journey through space took some days, and Loki was visibly straining to maintain control of the vision as the time waned backwards ever faster. It was moving so fast at one point, he almost missed the impression of a hulking, menacing figure standing over Aislinn as she lay prone and motionless on a medical table. Taking a wild stab, Loki exerted his waning magical ability and concentration to focus on the image, bringing them to that scene.

Aislinn found herself transfixed by a building sense of terror and clutched at Loki's arm. "He is important! Loki, I must know what they are saying. We cannot know in reverse. Please, there must be a way!"

He saw that she was frantic, and although he could already feel the exhaustion in his bones, he marshalled what remained of his inner power and began to channel it, attempting to alter the vision's flow. For a time, it did not seem to work; the magically constructed illusiory world around them flickered and warped. With a pained expression on his face, Loki forced it into order, and the spell suddenly snapped into place: The robed alien was standing over Aislinn's sleeping form, and he was moving forward.

The hulking figure emerged through the door. He was huge and menacing, with a large square jaw and blue gray skin that looked like steel. He moved with the grace and control of a warrior without equal, and the robed figure did not seem to notice him until he stood at Aislinn's head.

"My Lord Thanos! I did not expect… it is a great honor…" stammered the robed alien in a mix of surprise and sheer terror. The immense alien did not seem to give any notice to his words, cutting him off midsentence.

"Greetings, little slaver. Do you like the dark magicks I found for you? They serve you well as I can see. Were three bindings really necessary?"

"She fought them. She almost freed herself more than once until I added the third. She even fights me still… it is a constant struggle."

"For now, control her by keeping her injured and fighting until she is too tired to resist your mind control." He paced around the room, looking over Aislinn like a warrior might inspect a favored weapon. "Be sure you do not allow her to be killed. As gratifying as it would be to have this supposed threat gone forever, I have plans for her."

The robed alien squeaked out a promise, but the massive figure did not seem to attend to his words at all. He continued, "… It will keep the Chitauri soldiers entertained at any rate." He smiled down at her with a terrifying expression. "She might be the one fate chose to defeat me, but in my hands she will become a tool to worship death … oh yes. With the power in this girl, retrieving the stones will be child's play. With the gauntlet, I will deliver all the races to my lady's feet…. How Death herself will thank me for my service." He seemed to be talking to himself now as he gazed at her with a manic expression. "So much for the machinations of fate." He spat at her, contemptuous at the delicate vessel of the one meant to defy him. "Be sure she is under your complete control by the attack on Earth." He turned away without listening to the robed ones stammered responses, and walked out the door.

Loki lost his control over the spell, exhausted by the sheer force of will he had to exert to maintain it. The figures began to fade in and out, and then suddenly the magic was broken. Loki and Aislinn found themselves once again within the training room. When they woke, Aislinn immediately scrambled out of the bed away from him and collapsed to the stone floor, unable to run.

Aislinn sat quietly sobbing on the cold stone floor. Loki reached for her, but she cringed away from his touch. "So much death." She whispered. "I have killed so many. Odin could not have known what evil he brought into his house when he welcomed me."

Loki knew that his next words were crucial: the Aislinn he knew and loved stood on a knife's edge, ready to fall apart. He knelt beside her, saying "Aislinn, you are no more evil than a stolen blade would be in the hands of a villain. They used your strength against your will, but do you not see? You escaped and delivered yourself to safety before they could use you for true ill."

Aislinn quieted, obviously considering this. Loki pushed his point home saying, "You did not allow them to use you for his plan, and now we have the chance to defeat him. You have heard the prophesy of your victory over great evil your whole life: and he fears it too. If you had not been here now, we would not even be able to give Odin this warning." At this, she leaned towards him and he gathered her up in his arms. He had been attracted to her strength and power, but now, her vulnerability stirred his affection and made him protective and comforting. He kissed her temple and her hairline, holding her as she continued to cry.

"But he is so strong, so powerful. I was already defeated once, and by one of his servants and his minions! How can I hope to succeed against him?"

"Because you will have the might of Asgard behind you" he said "and I will be at your side." He added almost shyly, taking her hand in his own. "I will protect you in the coming battles, with my life."

Something deep within the prince shifted, an emotional void beginning to fill. He had spent so much of his life without purpose or passion, only to find himself suddenly devoted to this woman. It was a frightening, dizzying feeling to realize his fate was bound to another. Someone had at last put their faith and love unreservedly in him, and he found himself putting her before himself. The small voice that had been plaguing his conscience for so long was suddenly singing: he was a guardian now.

Aislinn rose from the ground, trembling slightly with the exhaustion of what they had just done. "We must see Odin, now. Let us waste no more time."


End file.
